Soul Caliber: Of Souls And Swords
by Bios13
Summary: Suspended Indefinately A rather broad story that I began a long while ago. It has been halted due to college and life, and the people who keep complaining that my story clashes with their theories and preferences. Blame the flamers that e mail me.
1. Previous Story

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Caliber: Of Souls And Swords

Prologue: Previous Story

Countless legends surround a sword known as Soul Edge. A weapon that has existed for nobody knows how long. A weapon that possesses history, yet holds no point of origin. Though as mysterious and foreshadowing as the blade is, for several centuries a great number of warriors have attempted to take it for their own. They never stop going after it, in spite of the fact that every warrior who has managed to attain such a feat has fallen into the darkness of his or her own heart, it is the legacy of Soul Edge.

Some claim it was the ultimate weapon. A powerful weapon that can bisect mountains and cut paths through the water of the seas. Others refer to it as the Sword of Heroes. A phantom sword with immeasurable power of the spirits, a blade that gives unlimited courage. Also called the key to eternal youth. A blade which holds the power to prevent the aging of a warrior. Also called a treasure without equal. Priest believe it is not a weapon but a remedy to cure all illness. There are even those who consider it the Sword of Salvation. A weapon that if possessed and put to good use can save a soul from damnation.

Although no one could ever be certain of the sword's whereabouts or true identity, various rumors and folklore spread across the world. In reality, Soul Edge was a shape shifting weapon that fed on human souls. In the early half of the 16th century they fell into the hands of a pirate called Cervantes De Leon and took the form of two individual swords. As a result he gained horrible power and moved on to become the most powerful swordsman on the face of the planet. Even he could see what he was becoming before it took complete control of his mind, though he has no recollection of it the swords drove him to murder his entire crew. Though he could not free himself from the swords he felt grateful that his daughter had been left behind in Europe, never to know of her father. Still many doubted that the sword was truly evil.

Twenty years later he emerged again, called out by the blade's lust for souls. As a result several came out to fight for the blades. This was in the latter half of the 16th century while many searched for the blades ended up going home or became lost along the way. However, a warrior on a divine mission for the ancient god of forge successfully shattered one of the evil blades, the Valkyrie known as Sophitia. However the falling shards cut deep and badly injured the maiden leaving her open to impending attack, Cervantes moved to strike her down.

Fortunately a demon huntress from Japan appeared to save her and defeated Cervantes who had lost the balance of the swords. As a result the shattered blade, one half of the Soul Edge was left in ruins. This left the remaining sword, alone and without a master to manipulate. The huntress was far too preoccupied in dragging the maiden home to give her attention to the swords, which were still thought of as neutral. Failing to destroy the remaining blade would have proven to be a very costly mistake to the world.

Not long after Cervantes blood was spilled upon the earth a young knight who had been traveling with the maiden appeared, an innocent dark side that she had forced herself to leave behind. Though he had fought his share of battles, he planned not to destroy, but to claim the remaining sword. He intended now to simply take up the sword, and his belief it was the key to salvation would rid him of his mortifying sins. This didn't work to how it was expected as the sword itself seemed to come to life and attack, however the knight defeated the demon of the Soul Edge.

Many that had been watching the strange glowing sword bore witness to this as the young knight managed to strike down the spirit of the Soul Edge, an entity of fire and brimstone. Dubbed Inferno by the port city. Inferno was crushed under the might of the youth's sword and it was seen that indeed his soul was mighty and clearly worthy of the weapon. It was at this time that the sword finally passed on to somebody whose heart wasn't aimed toward power or victory, only to the redemption of his long foolish soul.

However instead of redemption there was tragity. The knight carried the sword for only a month before it finally began to work its charms upon him, seducing him like a succubus would a common man. The connection it established allowed the blade to slowly dig out the darkest part of the young knight and bring it into reality, casting the restraint the boy fought to maintain into the darkness of his own mind. The blade transformed into a large sword to fit its new master's skill and screamed for the blood of the weak and strong alike.

It was at this point that it became perfectly obvious, the phantom sword Soul Edge had been forged from darkness and evil. It was not of a neutral force that would take after its owner, the owner of the blade would reflect the sword. It was not the balance that tipped the scales of good and evil, it only adhered to one side and manipulated the humans that controlled the scale. It would be nearly three years later when the youth's will finally broke and he would reappear, wielding the massive living sword and wearing armor of the night's blue. The Azure Nightmare.

The Soul Edge that the youth obtained grew in power and managed to eventually regain its full power, however the other half was far from destroyed. Shattered and weakened, but not destroyed. The other sword's power was released from the blade and spiraled out of control not long after the Soul Edge had vanished. Its malevolent energy diffused into the sky in a form of eerie light above the port side city. The phenomenon, which later became known as the Evil Seed, scarred the world with its evil legacy, polluting those unfortunate enough to be in the paths of the seeds saplings that crossed the skies. The shards of the sister sword being carried on the winds. The evil energy was dispelled and the shards were left dormant.

A young man called Kilik was the first of the victims. A young man being groomed to carry take up one of three sacred treasures designed to battle and defeat the evil that seemed to run rampant in the world. The Evil Seed had descended upon his home of the Ling-Sheng Su Temple and almost everybody was driven to insanity and bloodlust, forcing him to use his weapon to fight back, though he bears no memory of this. The Dvapara-Yuga, the memento of his sworn sister and second of the three treasures found its way across his chest. He would have to work many years to tame the darkness within him.

For three years the knight that had been taken into the dark control of the Soul Edge went on countless killing sprees with an army of berserkers until it all came to a close. The true reason was unknown to why this occurred, but there was then four years of peace to the world.

Only a few knew the truth that four years before, a spirit sword named Soul Calibur appeared from the East, as if to answer the call of the raging Soul Edge. Carried by a girl called Xianghua who traveled with Kilik, the young man with the dusky soul and the Kali-Yuga. They also traveled with a man seeking vengeance called Maxi who apparently perished after confronting the behemoth known as Astroth who had been responcible for the death of his crew. This was a whole different set of events outside of the disappearance of both the Soul Edge and the Soul Calibur.

No one witnessed the final battle to the death where Soul Edge and its master were finally given the taste of defeat. The Soul Edge survived the onslaught of the Soul Calibur and the young maiden's fury, but it was cracked and nearly shattered the pieces of the blade being scatter through out the void in which they fought. The knight had fallen after his sword and vanished into the shadows as well, outside the world many would have thought he could never return. In spite of the sword's mysterious disappearance there is still the matter of the shards that have spread across the world, bringing a new darkness and chaos.

Most people were oblivious to the fact that the peace that followed was the result of this battle, and the spirit sword's existence remained a mystery to the world. Unfortunately, this peace was merely a facade. Time that had been unknowingly given to the evil blades which has allowed them to regain their power. With the shards spreading its influence many have began fierce battles over the shards of crimson metal. People unwittingly transporting the sword to every corner of the world and spilling blood which only goes to feed the swords.

The future is unpredictable at this point, as the world has now begun to see the Soul Edge's master and his followers cut a path of destruction through the wilderness once again. While many seek the Soul Edge for different reasons they must somehow realize the truth and end it's evil before humanity is lost. Fortunately for the word however there are some that know the truth and some that are willing to trust it, and prevent the coming of another Evil Seed.

The legacy of the blades continues... 


	2. White Wind, Black Wind

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Caliber: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter One: White Wind, Black Wind

It was rather normal day in the city of Athens, Greece. The people of Athens were known for their skill in making great works of art, practical durable weaponry and their undying devotion to their Gods and Goddesses. They were also one of the only cities that had thoroughly prepared themselves for any attack that might come from the likes of Sparta or the Europeans. Rumors of the tension had reached the attention of the priests and governers and they felt it nessesary to be prepared. Not only because of their history, but because the White Wind had been based here. Out of all the world only the city of Athens could have appriciated the end result that this group so desperately sought after.

Essentially founded and lead by the woman warrior and native of Athens Sophitia Alexandra, it was a group that was dedicated to destroying every last trace of the menicing the Soul Edge. It was this reason why over the last two years the group had been moving across the Western world in the efforts to retrieve and eventually purify or destroy the shards of the evil blades. Most of the group, present or elsewhere, had seen the kind of terror that the demonic blades could bring. What so much as a single shard could do to even the purest of men. It was to this end that they were all insistant and determined upon their destruction.

The members of the White Wind watched as two of their more notable members fought, sparring was often used by them as a form of training as there was no corner of the world that wasn't in the straits of warfare right now. There was a great amount of conflict in the country of France at the moment. Violence was rather rampant in the middle east and lower Europe. China and Korea had become isolated and according to contacts, Japan was covered by several small wars that were breaking out between the lords. Truly it was a time to be prepared.

An older, wiser Kilik watched them with eyes that rivaled those of a hawk. The sacred Kali-Yuga was at his side like always, supporting his weight as he leaned on it. It had been four years since his first encounter with the Soul Edge and the knight in azure armor, also called the Azure Nightmare. He had expected to destroy the demonic blade, but the master of the sword still managed to defeat him by fortune's chance. However Nightmare had never been given the chance to strike him down, Xianghua had gained her opportunity to lash out as well with the Soul Calibur.

Xianghua was just as beautiful as ever, but her devotion to the quest was even more at this point. She had been the one that had managed to vanquish Soul Edge, it only seems appropriate that she join its other victims in finding what was left of it. Kilik had not even hesitated when she asked for his help and since then they had developed a very close relationship. She remembered the blade that had sent the Azure Nightmare and his blade spiraling into the shadows of oblivion, the blade that he called Soul Calibur. Krita-Yuga was back to normal and had not changed after the defeat of Nightmare, Xianghua wanted badly to know its secrets, but it did not speak or heed her wishes.

Maxi leaned against one of the columns as he watched the fight. While the other two of the trio had gone out after Nightmare, he had gone to settle things up with a monsterous being called Astaroth which ended in his supposed death. However while he indeed defeated Astaroth and avenged his crew he was left horribly wounded and somehow survived a trip down a river. He survived and battled amnesia, but eventually the memory of his friends returned to him to an extent. One thing lead to another and eventually he found his way to the area known as the Proving Grounds where he was reunited with Kilik, since then he had been following them and joined the White Wind.

The White Wind was a counter to the Black Wind, the remnants of the berserkers that had been lead by the likes of the Azure Nightmare, the behemoth Astaroth and the lizardman Renzor. While the trio was indeed part of it their other members included the Athenian maiden warriors Sophitia and her younger sister Cassandra. While the latter was indeed younger and far from experienced, she had proven herself through training and had revealed her ability in their various hunts for the shards.

Another trio hailing from Japan was also part of the group. The first to join them was a rouge mercenary and former samurai called Heishiro Mitsurugi. Following him came the former Fu-Ma assassin and demon huntress known as Taki Moyika. Lastly there was a personal friend of Maxi whom had fought with his crew while he was still complete, a mysterious masked ninja called Yoshimitsu. This eastern trio had all sought the sword for one reason or another and in their failure to obtain or destroy it, it was their wish that nobody else fall under its sway.

Then there was the enemy. The sparse remnants of the group known only as the Black Wind, those that apparently continued to follow the leadership of Nightmare. While Nightmare was indeed presumed dead they represented him in every way as they continued to terrorize any country they could. At times their agents would get in their way when they found themselves chasing another fragment of the evil swords. However it was well known that the only living commander that was left with breath was Renzor and organization was not easily gripped. It came as no surprise that they had not been heard from in well over eighteen months. It was a peaceful existence to the group.

All of these souls were currently after one thing, the shards of the Soul Edge Sophitia had shattered seven years ago and the shards from the other Soul Edge Xianghua had damaged four years ago which had been sent all over by the void. The void had dispersed them all over the world and the only thing that was left for either group to do was to find them before they fell into the wrong hands. The Black Wind would doubtlessly attempt to piece one of the swords back together and make yet another blade to replace the great power that had once been possessed by their leader. That could not be allowed to happen claimed the elder sister.

Sophitia had seen enough in her time fighting the Soul Edge to allow it to continue. She had originally traveled with Europe's finest warrior, the young knight Siegfried who had unknown intentions on the sword. Sophitia had felt a stirring in her heart while traveling with him and felt that a future was possible. Though after Taki had brought her back to Athens and she had met the man that is now her husband she would often think of him, that is until that day four years ago at that destroyed castle in Germany. It was there in her mind like stained glass.

Sophitia stood before The Azure Nightmare that gripped the now extended Soul Edge, he didn't speak as he looked at her not knowing what to feel if he even had that ability. Sophitia had known it was a human soul trapped by that blade and knew that this soul wanted to be released from the blade's grip. "I want to save you." were her words at that time. She had expected Nightmare to attack her outright but instead he fell to his knees dropping the demonic blade into the ground, it's eye closed as it lost its influence. He grabbed the helmet he wore pulling it loose revealing his face, Seigfried's face. He could be heard begging her to help him. Sophitia felt very stupid about what she had allowed to happen.

Sophitia lowered the Omega Sword and Elk Shield and ran forward to his side, she was hoping to cast the darkness from him. Instead he lowered one hand from the sword and grabbed her in an embrace that she could have never seen coming, Sophitia was lost at this point. The Azure Nightmare bored his forehead into her abdomen grinding his teeth and shivering as if overtaken by two conflicting forces. Sophitia had realized not long ago that for this brief moment the Soul Edge had lost its grip on her long lost friend and partner.

He couldn't bring himself to kill her, not even the demonic blade that had forced so many to do things beyond what they believed possible, could force him to do such a deed. Sophitia couldn't help herself as she had gone so far as to drop her weapons and hold the poor young man's head to her body. This was directly before Kilik and Xianghua appeared through the hoards that he had commanded and sent to guard the castle. The persona that was Nightmare took control once again and ran deeper into the castle where Kilik and Xianghua followed. With Nightmare vanishing from the world in the void between dimensions, she would never know exactly what became of her friend. Even if all that was left of him in the first place was his soul.

Sophitia swung hard clashing the Omega Sword against Cassandra's Alpha Sword hard sending it from her grip, it landed just shy of Kilik. Cassandra attempted to get back to her feet, but Sophitia was quick in placing her blade against her sister's throat ending the practice duel. She breathed heavily a clear sign that Cassandra was getting better and Sophitia was losing the obvious advantage that came with experience "You're getting better sister, but you need to slow down some. You're still extending all that energy at the start." Cassandra nodded acknowledging her sister's wisdom.

Kilik took in a breath and spoke up "Cassandra has some natural skill." he said, his eyes gazing over the magnificent statuary that was in the same room. Still he could see an underlying weakness of not being able to attack those of the own blood, her sister whom she looked up to. After what the curse of the Evil Seed had made him do to stay among the living, having to fight those he considered family was a nightmare he never wanted to experience again. Thus he often refused to spar with real weapons, for fear that the darkness he was sure he had vanquished might somehow return and take hold of him.

Cassandra huffed as she sheathed the Alpha Sword, which had been forged from the very same steel as that of the Omega Sword which her sister used. Her shield was also moved to hang off the hook on the reverse of her belt, she then began moving towards the stairs that would take her to the upper levels of the Eurydice Shrine, which served as their base of operations. It was built atop one of the highest points in the territory of Athens, to the point that the higher levels sometimes touched the descending clouds. Kilik suspected that the purity of the place magnified his and Xianghua's abilities to trace the locations of the shards.

Cassandra headed towards the door, but stopped as her sister called out to her asking where she was going. She looked back and gave a light shrug "Just to get some fresh air. You all still have some business to attend to, right. Just give me the short version later." She said before leaving the room. She would head to the highest level of the shrine where a gallery had been set up to commemorate the achievements of her sister. She felt at peace there with the swirling clouds that entered at this time of year, the cool breeze was also refreshing.

Sophitia waited for her sister to vanish, she had never seen the Soul Edge or truly had any experience in chasing it or finding it aside from the shards. The discussion on what they would do next bored her to tears, she would have rather just been told what to do and be sent off to do it. The elder sister eventually relaxed her own weapons and moved to lean against a pillar looking over the others "So, what is our next order of business?" She asked Maxi who pretty much kept track of everything having to do with the shards.

He had after all brought the problem to their attention when he had first arrived there, his multiple contacts also kept him informed as to strange happenings. He spoke as he brought out a telegram and glanced over it "One of my contacts sent this to me the other day, the messenger that delivered it also stated that the sender was holding something for us." he explained. Kilik leaned against a pillar and slid down it, his long vest scrapping down as he fell into a sitting position next to Xianghua.

The eastern swordsmaiden spoke up "Another shard making its presence known every few weeks. We need more help. We need more people that can actually hold their own in a fight against anybody that might have been possessed by the shards." She explained.

Kilik breathed "It isn't easy when everyone that sends us a request to join wants the Soul Edge for himself or for his country." His voice carried a light hint of anger as he spoke, two of them had came directly to Athens in the attempt to take the aquired shards. That had essentially ended up being Cassandra's first true fight and first drawn blood, luckily they were able to subdue them without causing any permanent harm.

Sophitia breathed at this realization. She remembered it so clearly when Siegfried had arrived in Athens looking for the one that their god of the forge had called, she had returned to resupply and sharpen her blade. Working with him had turned out better than working alone and it had all been luck that they had both been there at the right time. She snapped out of her flashbacks and spoke up "Help isn't going to just come knocking." She explained, almost wishing that the likes of Taki and Rock were still around to help her.

Next Chapter: The Elven Swordsman

(Voice of Sophitia) Somebody comes to the Shrine of Eurydice demanding to be admitted into these ancient halls. Somebody who bares more experience and ability than could have been predicted by his age and his attitude. I do not know who this boy is of where he comes from, but now he has become and intruder heading for the upper levels. If he dares to harm my sister, I will not be taking it lightly. 


	3. The Elven Swordsman

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Caliber: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Two: The Elven Swordsman

The Eurydice Shrine that served as the base of operations for the infamous White Wind was indeed grander than anybody could have ever expected it to be, crafted from the whitest marble and granite it was indeed worthy of their deities' attention. Lined with statues of their otherworldly creators and caretakers that were apparently all connected as a family, it sparked his interest after traveling as far as he had. Now he was just a few steps and a few doors from this group that he had been seeking, he just hoped that they would hear him out.

A young man walked up the stairs to the temple that came up from the streets of Athens, it had taken him a while to adjust to how closely the structures of the city had been built and then there were the stone laid streets. He had been warn far earlier that his abnormalities would turn heads and he remedied this by covering himself in a cloak and hood of olive green. It also covered the weapons held on his back and most of his clothing, his face could be seen but his most distinguishing feature was left in the shadows. He stepped toward the main entrance of the temple and moved by the lodging for travelers, however there was another obstacle in his way.

As he placed his foot at the large doors to the temple three Athenian soldiers suddenly stepped in front of him each of them holding gripping the swords at their sides, one placed a hand on his chest holding him from walking further. The traveler stepped back as he was wordlessly ordered to halt, he complied and placed one hand on his hip in a casual stance. He had already gone through a good number of stopping points while moving from town to town on his way to this grand city. He didn't believe that this would be any trouble.

The guards conducted the normal questions to the young man that he had heard several times before during his travels "What is your business here sir?" the man requested to know. The young man was hesitant to answer but eventually did. The language this man spoke was still a blur to him, and although he truthfully could not place meaning to the words he understood perfectly what was being said and replied in the same language "I must meet with the group called White Wind." He said. Each of the soldiers seemed to tense up, one drew his sword and looked at the boy.

"Show your face." He demanded in a serious tone. The boy slowly reached up and brought back his hood allowing light to come upon his face. He wasn't exactly what you'd expect to see around Athens. He was tanned lightly from his travels and held the expression of somebody who has seen a lot in his time on earth. His eyes were a deep sapphire blue and while they looked like a pair of priceless gems they also held a glint of a soul hardened through warfare. Dark blond locks of hair adorned his head as well, he seemed normal enough, but it was nobody that they had seen before. Either way he did not have the look of somebody sent to endanger the group.

The guard noticed the boy's weapon a full length double edged sword, designed specifically to be used with one or two hands depending upon the desires of the user. The guards discussed and nodded "I'll have to go and seek their permission to allow you entrance. After a few incident I'm afraid that it is standard procedure. I'm sorry but, you'll have to wait here." The boy nodded in understanding and made a motion of his hand for the guard to hurry on.

The entrance guard entered one of the doors and followed the stairs up to the third floor and to the double doors leading into the central hall which had been specifically cleared out for the efforts of the White Wind. He pushed the doors open everybody looked at him, two of the foreigners lowering their weapons showing that he had interrupted practice. He spoke anyway "Lady Sophitia. Somebody is at the main gates requesting to meet with the White Wind. I don't think he is one of the group though." Xianghua thought about it bringing a hand to her chin.

Maxi spoke up first however, his voice carrying a tone of annoyance "The White Wind is not a group that will take anybody in and we don't want any of Athen's youths. Tell them to go home. We don't have time to watch after people seeking fame." the buccaneer explained. The popularity of Sophitia had lead several of the Athen's youth to take up the sword including the sisters younger brother. They had been taking turns in sending them away.

The guard turned but Sophitia stopped him. "Wait. Can you describe him please?" She asked probably hoping that it would be one of the other seekers that she had heard of during her brief travels to retrieve shards.

The guard scratched his head "Alright. First off I don't think he is from Athens, I'm guessing that he is a traveler. He has dark blond hair, blue eyes, about five foot eight inches. My guess is that he is from the north, but I haven't seen a sword like that in quite a while." Sophitia gasped lightly. The guard looked back at her with a questioning look. Give or take a few words, that would have been the exact description she had heard of Siegfried. That was of course back when he was looking for her.

Xianghua walked over to Sophitia taking her hand as a friend "Sophitia. I know what your thinking about and you know that it isn't possible. I'm sorry." the warrior woman nodded lightly. For months after they met Sophitia had been coming up with theories and thoughts that Siegfried might still be out there in the void, in denial that he was indeed Nightmare. Xianghua had sent him into the endless shadows of the void and she knew that he would never be coming back. Sophitia had accepted that much.

Finally Sophitia looked up and breathed before speaking to the guard "Tell him to go home." the guard nodded and left the room, not questioning Sophitia's mood. The elder of the Alexandra sisters sat down placing her hands on the sides of her head. Kilik sighed as he looked at Sophitia, he hated seeing such times of depression and he knew of the close friendship that she and this Siegfried had for one another. Maxi proposed that there was probably more to it, but he didn't pry of attempt to tempt Sophitia with what might have been. She was after all happily married and was contemplating children once things managed to calm down..

The boy looked up as the guard appeared and awaited his answer, but he never got it as the guard suddenly pushed him back "You're going to have to go home. The White Wind has no time for your kind, their purpose is more dangerous than you think."

The young man was not pleased as he narrowed his hardened eyes and spoke in a stricken tone as he crossed his arms over his chest "Tell them to make time." He snapped. He had been traveling for a long time since learning that there was actually a group of people who were wise enough to wish the destruction of the sword, he was not going to be turned away by these clueless fools. It wouldn't have been the first time that he had been forced to fight his way through the local authorities.

The guards once again ordered him to go home and as one gave him a solid push he moved forward grabbing the guard by the neck part of his armor pulling him off balance"It is a matter of urgency and I will not be turned away." the other two brought out their swords.

"Release him down or else!" One shouted. The boy didn't hesitate to push the one he held into the others with a decent amount of force, the weight of the armor adding to the impact. One of them found himself unable to stand while another moved to attack, only to have his arm grabbed and a knee slammed into his exposed side. He dropped to the ground never managing to get his sword drawn, the remaining soldier was quickly put down by a stomping boot to his chest, forcing the wind from his lungs. While silent and without blood, his actions did not escape the notice of the tower.

A large bell sounded as they witnessed the boy marching right through the main double doors, this called the temple to alert rather quickly. Such urgency was felt that upon entering, the stranger was confronted by five soldiers that were ready for battle. The boy narrowed his eyes as he moved quickly running at the nearest one realizing that talk would not get him any closer to his goals. The guard brought up his blade just as he expected.

With fluid movements crafted by experience and hardship he pulled the sword arm away to smash his knee into the aggressor's stomach, unprotected by armor. He took the crumpling soldier's sword before pushing him onto his back allowing him to become another pained pile on the floor. Two more rushed at him and he attempted to ward them off as they grabbed him and both went for their blades, seeing his life in danger the boy pulled away and the cloak was torn from him, the broach tearing the edge of the collar.

They all looked at him as his being and his attire was revealed. His cloths were similar yet different by their standards. He wore a deep green tunic over his chest and back, long greyish undergarments covered what flesh was visible between where the tunic ended and the boots and gauntlets began. He wore a long cap on his head over his well groomed hair. On his back was a well decorated and crafted sword which showed further that he was a force to be reckoned with. To match his blade there was also a shield with several designs on it. However these things barely caught their attention as much as something else.

His ears, they weren't normal. They were long and stuck out an inch or so from the side of his head, just like those elvish beings spoken of in those legends and fairy tales from the north. Many of them murmured names of their gods in surprise and confusion, wondering if this was a birth defect or an abnormality caused by the Evil Seed. One of them spoke in a shout "What are you!" he pointed out his sword to push the demand.

The boy did not answer right away. Rather than speaking, he reached back to draw his sword which glowed in a light blue aura as if it was a holy weapon once it was taken from the sheath "I hail from a world which rests beyond the veil of your own. I have been placed here to find and destroy the Soul Edge. Now get out of my way or I'll be forced to make you!" he demanded. They didn't know what to make of his words as he spoke of another world. Could he have meant another country or something of the like.

They held their ground then rushed into attack, the elf eared boy narrowed his eyes as he jumped into the air "Don't be ridiculous." he said as he landed and slashed once with his sword. His blade hit two of theirs and the short blades were shattered in an instant, the boy of about twenty-one stood there obviously the victor as they stumbled back. A few of them ran, but he managed to grab one with his right hand and hoist him up "Now. Tell me. Where is the White Wind?"

The guard, fearing for his life pointed to the stairs "Go up those stairs they should be on the fifth floor right now." he choked. The boy nodded and pushed the guard to the ground then started up the stairs. The guard grunted as he got to his feet finding that his voice refused to give the call for an intruder, so easily that blade had cut through their own. Not the finest swords in all of Greece, but there was no great number of blades that could so easily scrap others.

The servant's shoulder rammed through the doors only to be suddenly cloths lined by the Kali-Yuga as he rushed in. He landed right on his back and the young warrior called Kilik stepped back as he noticed he had struck one of the temple's acolytes "What the hell is going on!" he demanded to know.

The servant stood to his feet brushing himself off giving no ill-will towards the foreigner, instead he turned to the only other native in the room. He spoke with a panicked voice "Lady Sophitia, somebody at the gates just charged in. I don't know what is going on, but the guards are helpless to stop him. Apparently he just keeps cutting through their shields and armor!" These reports had come from a collection of panicked rambling, but it was obvious that something was amiss.

Maxi brought out his weapon and slung it under his arm, a pair of sharp eyes narrowing under his brow "Just point me at him." He said as if ready to take on an army. Before they could discuss this further, there came yelling from outside the room as the intruder seemed to be drew closer. However they screamed eventually fadded, rising above their heads as they chased him higher in to the grand structure.

The acolyte looked up "If he heads up the stairs he'll end up in the Gallery, right?" Sophitia took in a sharp breath as her thoughts went to her sister, and no sooner after the thought had struck her she had vanished from the room. The door swinging lightly in her wake.

His hand dropped down on the shoulders of a guard to toss him backwards against a column, giving the stranger the freedom to vanish down another hall. He breathed knowing that he would have to lose them and lay low for a short while. He moved up another set of stairs hoping that it would lead to another floor that had yet to be alerted, instead he was greeted with a rather unique area. It was an open air gallery of sorts, looking around he saw that in this room was flowing water and a statue of a woman was there. The fridged air snapped lightly as he took in his breaths, the height of the temple at this point made a significant temperature difference. He slowly walked out from the stairwell and then to his right and came around the fountain not expecting another to be in the area.

Cassandra breathed as she looked up at the statue of her sister trying to figure out how she could have done so much in her earlier years, in fact only at the age of eighteen. She had worked hard and Cassandra respected that very much, unfortunately it lead to so much being unreasonably expected of her. It always seemed that she had a fault of some sort in her style although there were few in the Athenian army could match her blade to blade. Only Sophitia herself was a guarenteed victor when it came to such a match up.

It wasn't that combat was the problem, just that ever since Sophitia had married Rothion her parents had constantly been after her to get married soon. It was as if being wed and bearing children was all they wished of her. Though she had more than enough talent to match Sophitia's deeds, the rest of her family was pretty much content for the younger of the sisters to follow the elder step for step. Sophitia. Her sister. It seemed that whenever her family got together, everything seemed to revolve around what she had done and how Cassandra should be following.

It infuriated her to no end.

Cassandra slowly drew the Alpha sword looking at the Greek writing on the blade, she had been living by the blade and was not a simple girl. She wasn't like so many of her friends who just wanted to speed life on, if she was going to fall in love and move into family life anytime soon she was going to take her sweet time doing it. Her personal peep talk was interrupted as she noticed the sound of footsteps coming around the fountain. The sound of medium weight boots like Maxi wore, however she knew that the weight was too light to be her sister's friend.

Cassandra swiftly turned as she heard the sound, most of the temples guards wore that armor that was impossible to sneak around in and nobody of the team would just sneak up on her. She slowly pulled up her shield but at the last second brought it up fast as she caught a glimpse of somebody she had never seen before. It was an intruder, pure and simple. Another that had come seeking the shards of the cursed sword.

"Who...?" She began with a voice that should have been demanding and authoritive, but it was shaken by the sight of his ears. Cassandra was quick to shake it off and put her attention on the green clad boy "Who are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded to know. Cassandra looked at the boy, her eyes seeming to be trapped by her own as she locked gazes with him. He didn't appear to be one that would be seeking the Soul Edge for his own ends, but she wasn't going to let herself be fooled again by a seemingly innocent face.

He eventually spoke as he held up his hands, the fingerless gloves spreading out to reveal nothing hidden in his palms "I mean no harm, but I must speak with those of the White Wind." He said seriously hoping that he wouldn't have to fight this girl. Cassandra lightly thought it through before she reinforced her stance and strapped her shield to her arm, able to see him tense at the obviousness that there was going to be conflict..

Cassandra looked at the young man easily around her age but those ears, something about them didn't seem normal. Though she was pretty sure that he wasn't a demon or anything "What do you plan to do if I refuse." she said. The boy said nothing as he moved his hand to the sword mounted on his back to be drawn out swiftly and with perfect accuracy, obviously he knew his style and his weapon well. His actions seemed to scream out the message that he would be going through her.

Cassandra raised her own weapons and narrowed her gaze "Fine then. But before we start, tell me who you are?" Her voice was demanding and almost scary, he decided it was in his best interest not to anger her.

The boy lightly took in a breath as he brought one foot back into a stance with his sword and shield which was now on his right arm "My name is Link." he said, a light smile coming to his face. It was an different, yet fitting name for this strange boy. He tilited his head lightly as he locked his eyes with her once again "What should I call you Milady?"

Cassandra lightly smiled as she was addressed and had to fight herself not to blush or giggle, she just acknowledged that she would try not to seriously hurt him "Cassandra Alexandra, Milord." she said allowing the address of respect and chivelry to flow off her tongue, thought it wasn't said anywhere nearly as natural as this boy that stood before her. A wind blew and tossed their hair, their bangs batting at their eyes before both of then snapped their weapons down at the floor and moved at one another.

Next Chapter: The Shards of the Forsaken Swords

(Voice of Kilik) "What do you mean that the Soul Edge is still in this world? What about the shards! What about Cervantes! How can Nightmare and the Black Wind possibly still be around! These questions asked in response of a revelation brought to us by this strange newcomer that wields a holy sword. He comes and confirms my darkest fears and visions that I had been hoping were simply bad dreams. Who are you and why are you helping us? What is your game elven swordsman!" 


	4. The Shards of the Forsaken Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
-  
Soul Caliber II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Three: The Shards of the Forsaken Swords

The initial blow of their weapons was followed by both of them retreating a distance from one another, the first strike giving them the opportunity to size up their other. There was a tense silence as Cassandra and this boy, Link, circled one another. She took notice rather quickly that the sword he wielded seemed to emit a positive aura similar to the one that of the Kali-Yuga and Krita-Yuga. It wasn't likely that he was a servant of what remained of the Soul Edge if his soul permitted he use such a weapon, however it still left the question as to why he was there.

Cassandra stood ready before her opponent, her weapons held tightly in her hands, the wind coming from the unbarred balcony blew her short cut hair slightly. He had forced his way inside and his intentions were something that she had no time to inquire, she had to defeat him first. The strange swordsman reinforced his stance as he brought up his sword keeping his right hand at his side free while his left held his sword. He narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself, at this point he was completely absorbed in the battle and felt he was one with the area around him.

Sophitia Alexandra moved up the stairs to the gallery as softly as she could and looked out from behind one of the pillars towards the two opponents. She gave a sigh of relief at the sight of her sister's confirmed health, but felt her jaw lower in confusion as she spotted the intruder's ears. This of course brought about several thoughts which raced around her mind without regard for her inability to keep up. She had heard of beings with long ears in fairy tales and such but never suspected they were real, the only difference was that he was not an imp or anything.

She held onto the Omega Sword and Elk Shield rather tightly, prepared to jump out if the fight progressed to her sister needing any help. Maxi meanwhile stood across from her already prepared with one of his nunchaku, which he called Soryuju. Kilik had moved past Sophitia as well and grasped his staff. Both of them were just waiting for the stranger to turn his back, but Sophitia would not allow her group to perform such underhanded tactics and demanded that they allow Cassandra to fight.

Xianghua had managed to sneak around a secret passage and found herself standing behind the pillars on the other side of the room, if she stepped out the younger sister would see her. She was concerned for Cassandra's safety as much as the next person. It wasn't every day that somebody possessed the skill to plow through over a dozen armed soldiers without killing a single one, or even draw much blood. She was ready to stab him in the back if he dared to harm Sophitia's sister, but had to admit as she watched him go into stance once again that he truly was more powerful than he looked. If she was one to place her money on game, she would be dropping her coins against Cassandra.

Cassandra suddenly moved forward in a stepping leap bringing her blade down hard, she then suddenly reversed it swinging it upwards hoping to catch him off guard. The elf was quick to react pushing his sword down parallel to the ground holding his free hand against the blade. The Alpha Sword smashed hard against the flat side of the elven's sword being stopped where it was, the elf took this to his advantage and moved hard to the right moving around Cassandra to bring up his knee to be pushed into her side sending her back, he then jumped swinging the sword down hard as if performing a killer blow.

Cassandra as expected brought up her shield to protect which it did, the blade hit the middle of the circular shield but didn't recoil it just stopped. Such a signal ment that he was not playing around and she was prepared to draw blood until she noticed that it was the flat of the blade that was against her shield. Her anger flashed at the thought of being played with. The swordsman narrowed his eyes and murmured before jumping back just in time to dodge one of Cassandra's swipes.

Cassandra went back on the offensive moving forward quickly to swing in a series of strong swipes, but it all proved to be for nothing. Each and every last one of the stronger ones were blocked by the longer sword and each of the weaker swung counters were slapped away by the leather gauntlet. She then swung near his head which was blocked as well, she then moved quickly smashing her foot into the back of the elf's heel dropping him onto his back. The shield struck the ground first in an echoing metal call, the others could almost feel the pain of it.

The boy landed on his back and quickly moved right as Cassandra attempted to kick him, possibly break a few ribs and incapacitate him for questioning. The boy moved back however and threw out both his hands and was back on his feet after a quick flip, his sword was still held in his hand and he was ready for more. He smiled as he taunted Cassandra to move forward his back now to the balcony's edge.

Cassandra felt her proud nature taking over as she suddenly ran at him without regard for where he was standing. That is when he made his move. He suddenly went down and dodged moving in a quick semi-circle around Cassandra to end up at her back side. The young Athenian hardly saw this but didn't have time to defend as the edge of the sword was pushed to her back. The elf's free hand rested on her shoulder ready to pull her into the slash that could easily be put through the flesh of her back. This was a sure death situation, as with a sharp push and pull he'd cut into her spinal column.

The biting of the blade never came however as he stepped back sheathing his sword thought he never released her shoulder. "Any blows that are put towards your ego hope to achieve such a scenario, it is a cheap yet effective technique. Don't you think?" he questioned in a rather friendly tone. Kilik had to admit he was impressed, this warrior was easily in complete control of his body and very light on his feet. Cassandra however wasn't going to be bested as she suddenly moved pulling away from him, but hadn't counted on the slickness of the floor.

Cassandra's footing was lost and she tumbled towards the edge, the boy however quickly stepped forward catching her by her arm before she could fall off the edge of the balcony. It would have been a short fall as there was a circling terrace below, but it was likely that she would have still been hurt significantly if not killed. Forgetting her pride, Cassandra quickly scrambled back onto her feet falling forward to grip him close very shocked by that close brush with death. She had dropped both her weapons on the floor so the elf had no fear in holding her back as if trying to comfort her. Cassandra just breathed feeling that somehow she could trust that he was not her enemy.

Cassandra had little time to enjoy the embrace when suddenly somebody else came running from the boy's right. The elf looked as Maxi rushed him swinging hard with the nunchaku, the boy was swift to grab the buccaneer's weapon by the other end then twisted around hard pulling the weapon free. Link then grabbed him around his arm with it. Maxi grunted before he was turned loose to stumble off to the side, he looked back at the elf. At first he was annoyed, but then cracked a grin, it reminded him of when he and Kilik first met. He was confident that they didn't need to fear anything he was willing to do, otherwise he would not have helped their leader's sibling.

The young man leaned forward placing his hands on his knees looking at both the blushing Cassandra and the grinning Maxi. He slowly stood back to his feet and crossed his arms rather seriously "Have I earned your attention yet?" He snapped angrily knowing there were others in the room.

Cassandra looked at Maxi, he nodded in response "Yeah I think so. I sure hope this is worth our time though." The boy looked at Maxi with a stare that could halt death in his cursed tracks. Something was beginning to tell Maxi that this guy was not just another chariot chaser or seeker of recognition, he possessed the eyes of a warrior born.

"I know just how serious the White Wind is and how uninteresting a stranger requesting audience must be to you. You cannot walk through this city without hearing just how many have come and failed to win your approval." he explained. The swordsman allowed his arms to drop before he turned his head toward the pillars that Kilik and Sophitia were hiding behind "You can come out now. I come in peace." he stated.

Both of them were a little surprised that he could sense them, without much hesitation Sophitia, and Kilik both came out of hiding. Xianghua stepped out from her hiding spot as well upon seeing the actions of her lover and the group's leader. Link looked up and saw Sophitia and his eyes seemed to go wide in surprise for a mere second as he noticed the resemblance, but he quickly shook it off. He knew that he couldn't allow such things to get in the way of the mission and he couldn't allow them to catch wind of what was happening.

Cassandra looked at him and gave a nod of respect "Uh Thanks. But who exactly are you?" she asked him very interested. The boy nodded back "As I said before. My name is Link. I hail from the land far to the West. To be simple I have come to find the Soul Edge..." This was the part that all of White Wind always looked for. Was he after it to possess it, destroy it, lock it away, give it away, use it for patriotic reasons. The reasons for people on this quest seemed endless. Link raised as hand as he spoke before he angrily closed it into a tight fist "...Then destroy it. The chaos it brings has caused far too much pain to be ignored." He stated with narrowed eyes. This was a good thing to the White Wind, he realized it was evil.

Sophitia spoke up "It won't be an easy task. Soul Edge has somehow pulled out of death several times, even after being shattered by a sword of equal power." Link nodded as he reached back placing a hand on his sword.

"Let me worry about that. What I heard was..." he was about to speak when Maxi cut in.

"Just, where did you say you were from?." he said this crossing his arms, looking at the elven with suspicion. Kilik and the others looked as well, Maxi was like they're navigator and knew what most of the world looked like by landscapes and surroundings.

Link ran a single hand through his hair before speaking "No place that you've traveled I'm sure, otherwise you'd be able to pry your eyes from my ears. I don't believe your people really know of my home, to be honest most of the known world is a mystery to me." The boy explained as if he had stated it several times before. Being that he had been traveling the world, it was obvious that he had indeed had to explain his abnormalities.

Sophitia crossed her arms before looking hard into his eyes "Fair enough. Still I must know, what is your story? Many a strong soul have fallen under the blade's influence, what makes you think that you are worthy of hunting after the Soul Edge shards?" She questioned like the hardened warrior one would have expected her to have become considering all the stories.

The young man leaned against one of the pillars before speaking "Apparently this Evil Seed I keep hearing about was what sent three shards of the first sword, the Soul Blade our way. This caused a great deal of political unrest, but seven years ago we were preoccupied with other more pressing problems. Know what I mean?"

Xianghua nodded to Link as she flashed back on the problems in China's royalty "Yes. We know of the shards effects on the living, they bring out the darkest parts of people and the influence of the shards leads them into the hands of higher up political personal." Kilik smiled lightly, it had been a well thought answer.

Kilik spoke as he leaned against his own pillar, the Kali-Yuga resting against his shoulder "We have connections to other warriors of great skill all over the known world. Working together we have managed to gather several of the Soul Edge's shards. One of our comrades claims that according to what she witnessed there could be anywhere between twenty and fifty pieces of various size and power. We've collected about seven. The stronger ones are the hardest to find and obtain however, considering that they manipulate their way into the hands of the strongest warriors they can find."

Link looked at him and seemed to narrow his eyes rather angrily "You're only half right, Kilik." he said simply. His voice carried a tone of knowing and indignation at the comparison of the swords, as if one was worse than the other.

Kilik looked at him opening his eyes as he did so "What do you mean?"

Link looked out the window for a few brief seconds then looked back to Sophitia "How many shards of the Soul Edge did you say you hold?" he asked.

Sophitia thought for a second "When you consider everybody in the group we possess about seven." Link looked at her about to speak when Maxi cut in again.

"They seem to have been targeting the strongest of warriors the world over. When they fell they seemed to be ordinary shards of metal, but when they came in contact with us they gave off the glow of the other shards. Yet nothing happened. We can only assume we cannot be effected because of the trials and encounters we've had with the sword." Link shook his head once again.

Cassandra stepped up to Link placing a hand on his shoulder feeling the cotton of the tunic "Could you explain what you mean? What is your theory." Link nodded to the Cassandra, she looked his age from what he saw. Link crossed his arms as they all looked at him.

"It isn't a theory. It is an acquired fact. The shards of the Soul Edge don't target political targets so they can cause social or political unrest. They do it because they know that rumors will spread and somebody will find out about this treasure that somebody of power holds. Starting wars and unrest is just another way to attract those that make their living off of combat. Great warrior usually only want more. And the shards exchange whatever gifts they can for the soul." Link said with seriousness in his voice. He knew what he was talking about.

Kilik stepped away from the wall and stepped over to him "So these things take control of anybody that they come in contact with as long as their soul is weak enough to be effected by the temptations." Link looked at Kilik thinking over what occurred in his country.

"No, not just anybody. I think it will only actually try to gain control if it believes the host is suitable. Otherwise it will remain dormant until it is passed on to somebody with reasonable technique or ability. One such as that would clearly have a powerful soul." Link stepped away removing something from the pocket of his shirt, the writing on the small note pad was illegible to them "I've been taking notes of what I heard and what the three oracles in my country told me, about where I could start looking for the shards and eventually the sword itself."

They all listened intently as he began reading from the small pad of paper "I've traveled a long way to get here and have been hearing a lot about the shards of the sword and those who seek them. While many of the shards indeed slipped away to find suitable targets of their own, a number of them rejoined with the sword to keep it from slipping into nothingness." Xianghua looked up suddenly.

"Your information is wrong, I remember seeing that sword fall into the abyss of the void. The gap between our world and the next, the shards might have slipped out along with me, but the sword itself is gone for good." Xianghua explained. Nobody noticed how Link's hand clinched sharply at the mention of the void and how these people had somehow made their way inside.

Link looked at her intensely before speaking "You must trust me. I don't care what you did or what you think you did, the master of the Soul Edge that you call the Azure Nightmare is very much alive and in control of a collection of the shards. The Soul Edge is also still in existence. Many a notable warrior have been gaining hold of these shards and then vanishing from their homes, correct? Where do you think they are ending up?" he questioned.

Silence seemed to grip the group as they discussed this and were beginning to realize if the core of the Soul Edge had been truly destroyed there would be no way for the shards to continue drawing energy from it. Link then began to explain how sword of the soul or the spirit tend to share a bond of energy even after being shattered and that if the core were seperated in something as distant as the void the shards would have died off. It was soon agreed that chances were that Nightmare had been spit from the void as well. Otherwise the shards would not be able to so easily manipulate the mortals that were foolish enough to place their hands upon them. 

Sophitia was beside herself as she heard that Nightmare was still alive, the possibility of gaining another chance of granting him salvation had gripped her mind almost at once. She would get another chance to free Siegfried from the control of that accursed sword and his own demons. However, this was not entirely good. She had stopped having visions long ago and considering how long the shards had been working their evil, Nightmare must have returned to the Black Wind by now. His return would have been with demands of rebuilding and he would surely come back stronger than before, not just the leader of a bunch of angered warriors in exile.

Cassandra looked at Link thoughtfully, able to see that something was chewing on the back of his mind as he closed his eyes as if looking back on something "So are you going to go with us to seek the Soul Edge?" she asked. Link nodded silently at the question "Then are you returning to your home, Link?" she asked. Link looked up about to speak, but then looked back down silencing himself, hoping to take their minds off of this he reached behind his back removing something from the pack under his shield.

They all gazed with amazement as he removed a large chunk of the Soul Edge, the shard pulsed with a red glow like a heart beat sent out by the main sword. Link sneered as he looked at the piece of ominous metal "To think such a small thing can cause my home such misery. Such a small, pathetic thing as common as a piece of metal can cause me to go to this extent." he said as he placed it on the floor before them. Cassandra took it then placed a hand on his shoulder "What did happen in your country Link?"

Next Chapter: Story of the Swordsman

(Voice of Link)  
What other choice do I have but to tell the members of the White Wind exactly what happened to my home when the shards of the Soul Edge fell from the sky and began taking hold of my friends? What other choice do I have but to tell them exactly what I am doing here and what my end goals are? What other choice do I have but to tell them of my sacrifice I have made for the honor of defending my country? I haven't any other choice...I never did. 


	5. Story Of The Hylian

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing. I do however own the original characters that are from neither series -  
Soul Caliber II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Four: Story Of The Hylian

"What did happen to your country Link?" the young maiden asked him in her calm, caring almost angelic voice that made him trust her all the more She obviously felt sympathy toward him at what he was going through and seemed interested what had happened. It was obvious that being the sister of the famous Sophitia Alexandra, she had heard much of the Soul Edge's destructive powers. Link looked lightly at her with his sapphire eyes before returning his gaze to the floor with a sigh, his eyes then turned towards the door where discussion could be heard from.

Sophitia spoke as she realized that the guards were waiting just outside the doors "Why don't we continue in the gardens. This gallery is uncomfortable and a little dangerous. What with a dozen soldiers looking for Link doesn't help much either." The elf nodded in agreement.

Kilik stepped away from the wall holding the Kali-Yuga in his right hand balanced over his shoulder, walking casually he made his way up the stairs and over to the doors and reached out grabbing one of the loop handles. He pulled back forcing one of the large double doors open. As predicted the soldiers that Link had fought his way through all stood outside the door with their weapons drawn ready for another encounter with the elven swordsman. They all attempted to move in but Kilik quickly reacted holding his rod up with both hands forming a barricade, Maxi followed suit with his Nunchaku. The soldiers stopped some of them not knowing what to make of this.

Sophitia stepped up to them holding up her hands showing that her blade was sheathed and her shield was at her waist "Its alright. The young man is not an enemy, he just really needed to be taken seriously. Kindly return to your posts and allow him to pass." Several of the guards moved back to their posts, some of them eyeing Link hatefully as they moved off.

One suddenly pointed at his ears "But..."

Cassandra spoke up "He's probobly another victim of the Evil Seed if not just another from foreign lands. I doubt he means us any harm" she sharply stated. He huffed and left.  
Link nodded a thanks to Cassandra and she smiled lightly at him "Now we're even. Understood."

Link shrugged lightly at the temperament of the younger sister "Whatever you say."

Maxi lowered his weapon as they left them "What a bunch of jerks, huh?" he chuckled towards Link remembering how they reacted to him at first. He yawned as he placed the sticks of the nunchaku together and slipped it back in his belt where the other one, Fata-Buru, rested. Soryu-ju, was his newest made from the finest wood that could be found and the chains had been replaced with the works of Sophitia's husband. Link picked up the Alpha Sword and handed it back to Cassandra who took it and nodded to Link before she walked after Xianghua, Kilik and Maxi who headed to leave.

Xianghua took point leading the group out of the room, she kept Krita-Yuga sheathed in the scabbard on her belt. The blade, like the Kali-Yuga was a very powerful weapon which had more power to it, the Soul Calibur had taken form from it, but it only returned to normal after damaging the Soul Edge. She was hoping that whatever information this young man brought would somehow shed some light on why the holy sword had been resealed.

Kilik followed with the Kali-Yuga held in his right hand over his shoulder, he smiled as he looked at her. They truly did love one another, but distance often kept them apart as her orders from her country was to find and destroy the Soul Edge. All the while he was forced to return periodically to the Proving Grounds to meditate and keep his soul pure and untouchable to the demonic blade. Maxi followed behind them, while he knew of their love he felt like the older brother of the trio and wouldn't do anything to prevent it.

Maxi looked back as Link and the two Athenian maidens spoke their forgiveness to a few of the soldiers. He chuckled "Hey ladies. What do you say we keep moving? I'm not getting any younger here." he called out as he vanished through the doorway.

Link looked at him then to Cassandra placing on a confused expression "What did he just call me?" He asked annoyed. Cassandra raised a hand to her lips as she giggled at Link's obvious sarcasm.

Sophitia looked at Link with a smiled "Maxi is like that. You'll get used to him after a while." Link nodded and walked on the two sisters trailing behind him. Cassandra watched his every movement wondering if he would agree on traveling with them should they invite him. She was fighting mostly to keep from showing any shown signs of admiration.

After the long walk down the stairs they all crossed through the main hall where Link had first revealed himself, somebody stood at the nearest exit that lead into the palace gardens. The man chuckled as he crossed his arms leaning against the pillar that was next to the door, he held something wrapped around his arm. The cloak Link had been wearing, as they approached he spoke up "So you're the one everybody has suddenly been talking about. Just arrived in Athens and already you've made a name for yourself." he tossed him back the cloak with Link caught and tucked under his arm. He then placed his hands at his hips and the man smiled with a shake of his head "Hopefully now some of the young blood will decide to take their training a little more seriously, considering how you managed to plow through them." He laughed in spit of his rank..

Sophitia looked at the man who unlike the other guards had armor that included more brass than the iron the others wore, this basically showed that he was the captain of the guards. The man had light blue eyes, short cut black hair and a thin amount of facial hair, while he was obviously a well experienced soldier he was also a loving father of two children. Sophitia spoke "Is there anything I should know Araydan?" she asked as he was the source of their information of the Black Wind's progress. Because of the danger presented by Soul Edge, Greece and the Holy Roman Empire also had an alliance currently, so information was being exchanged constantly between the two of them.

Araydan handed Sophitia a telegram she sighed as she recognized the difficulty written English on it. Maxi took a look at the characters on the envelope "Mitsurugi?" he asked. She nodded knowing that, although the man in question was able to speak English fluently it was difficult for him to write in it. His frustration showed in the ink.

Kilik shrugged as he saw Sophitia confirm Maxi's guess "He really should have Taki do it for him. It would be easier on him and his self-control." the young man murmured. The woman called Taki had spent time in Europe and caught on to the universal language quite nicely in writing and speech. 

Maxi looked back at his friend and laughed "And actually owe anybody any favors, or endanger his ego? I don't think so." Sophitia handed it to Xianghua who placed it into her satchel she always wore.

Araydan started to walk away when he remembered "Also Sophitia, Rothian said he hoped to see you home early tonight." Sophitia sighed, hating how this destiny kept her away from her husband.

Link looked at Araydan "Another searcher?" he asked.

Araydan chuckled "No. Lady Sophitia's husband. He made her sword and shield and is one of the worlds leading authorities on swords. Makes him invaluable to the research on the blade." Araydan then stepped away from them. To find a weakness in the Soul Edge through the shards they had collected had been estimated to be their best bet.

The group walked out of the echoing halls of the palace and into the tranquil gardens. The area was quite calmly, several flowers and trees rested around the area and the sounds of song birds soothed the soul. Link looked at the little birds, they were rare in his lands. The smaller one that would only sing, they were usually either chickens, crows, birds of prey or fiends that attacked anything else that moved. This world seemed so much more calmer than his own, but of course he had traveled across the areas outside the cities. Bandits, thieves, berserkers and savages roamed all over the place ready to prey on the travelers crossing through.

Sophitia walked over to a bench and the other two women joined them. Kilik took a seat on the ground at the edge of the bench next to Xianghua who playfully put her legs over his shoulders. Cassandra sat in between her elder sister and Xianghua looking at Link who stood across from them his arms crossed leaning against the wall. Maxi leaned against the nearby tree looking at the two, rolling his eyes as Kilik responded by holding her legs and threatening to stand. Now that all of them were away from the temple's cramped halls and soldiers listening ears it was time to get back to the point at hand.

Sophitia Alexandria crossed her well toned legs and looked at Link who stood there against the wall his eyes still closed and his arms crossed idly over his chest "Okay Link now please tell us exactly what happened to your country? We must know what kind of damage can be expected from Soul Edge in our world." Cassandra leaned forward placing her elbows on her knees before placing her hand under her jaw showing interest. Link sighed as he brought his right hand up to his forehead to lightly rub, it was stressful enough learning and adapting to this world but until Soul Edge was destroyed his world was in danger of invasion.

Link looked up at them his eyes growing serious "I hail from a land called Hyrule that is far into the southeast, for centuries we have essentially kept our existence a secret for your known world. We didn't want to be involved in your problems and wanted to remain isolated and uninvolved in the difficulties of your world." He had to keep himself from mumbling as this was stated and Cassandra exhaled lightly realizing that their problems had been forced on him.

Link continued "It all started seven years ago. The shards of the first shattered sword came from a bright light in the sky and descended upon the land under the appearance of shooting stars or something of the like. I had just arrived back from my journeys in the other countries of Hyrule and like always my existence seemed to attract problems that were far from normal." They all could be seen paying heavy attention. Maxi however looked at him, wondering if he thought he was fooling them.

Cassandra meanwhile did the simple math "Seven years? How young will that have made you! How could anybody condone you venturing outside your country, much less your hometown?" Her concern seemed odd, but Link didn't blame her. He had received the same reaction too many times before. Perhaps she wasn't concerned, perhaps she was impressed.

Link looked at the ground slightly "Not to brag but I've been on my own since before then, only at the age of twelve did the purpose of my life begin to open up before me. That, however, is another matter all together." Cassandra pitied him but he didn't seem to mind.

He continued "I was about fourteen when the first wave of shards arrived. At that point I possessed more than my want for those adventures, having been commissioned to venture outside the kingdom's boarders and learn of the outside world. But soon the shards began reacting to people, as they soon managed to get into the hands of those of high authority. Five years ago they reached one of my best friends..." Link sighed as he realized he wouldn't have a great need to ever say this name again "...the daughter of the royal family."

"A princess!" Maxi retorted in surprise. Link chuckled lightly knowing that Maxi was beginning to doubt his words it wasn't exactly common around here. "We only met through my first series of events, without a number of uncommon gifts bestowed upon her, it is unlikely I would still be alive today. Its not like a fairy tale. A commoner befriending a Princess is a privilage and had it not been for the fact that our destinies were tangled, it wouldn't have mattered. However our relationship has no relevance to this." he said rather insistently.

Kilik nodded to him "Alright. Then what happened with her?" he asked.

Link nodded his head as he spoke "They all managed to get into the hands of high positions of the world. Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Prince Marth of Altea, and the King of Hyrule. This caused much social unrest until my country's guardians the six sages noticed that each one of them held these shards and were being corrupted. Being that I had a close friendship with each of them I decided to handle this." they all listened.

"The King and Zelda's shards were not as difficult to retrieve considering they were both my friends and my country's leaders. The King was a matter of forced recovery as his own judgement defeated the shard, Zelda was a matter of getting through its influence before she gave hers up." his expression became serious "Prince Marth was far from easy as we had to get his without making an attack on him look like an act of war against Altea. We managed to get the shard and seal them away where they couldn't reach others. However four years ago only six months after this, two more shards of much greater power came to me."

Sophitia understood this, he had proved himself a powerful warrior and it only made sense that they would have attempted to track him down "They nearly took me as their host, but when it became obvious they couldn't they couldn't, one took control of a friend and possibly one of the finest swordsmen in the country. A warrior named Garen Sheikan." He said hating this memory especially.

Sophitia placed a hand over her mouth as he said this it wasn't exactly something she wanted to ever experience. Xianghua spoke, feeling for Link "Oh Gods. Thats terrible. What happened?" she asked curious, but not wanting to cause him pain.

Link looked at the Master Sword as he unsheathed it and swung it once through the air, it left bright blue aura behind the blade "I managed to defeat him, but it was in no way an easy task as I had to keep him alive. I wouldn't have been able to face his wife with his blood on my hands, regardless of the circumstances. I attempted to destroy this stronger shard, but my sword lacked at the time lacked the power and it spirited itself away in two halves. A week later I received word that two powerful students of the sacred arts had vanished without a trace, but an evil energy was thick in their home."

Everybody listened for these identities "I do not know them personally, I only know that they both dabbled in a number of things that event the royal families advisors wished forbidden. I'm guessing that somehow the shards got to them and they left to hunt down the core of the sword, I however managed to keep the remaining shard safe." Link lightly placed the point of the blade in the ground idly twisting the handle.

Kilik looked up at Link, then at the ground narrowing his eyes as he heard this "Link." he said grabbing the elven swordsman's attention.

Kilik took some time with his choice of words before he spoke "Not so long ago I heard rumors of two people that apparently possess mysterious powers, according to sources these two decimated a fifty man unit of the crusaders. Their arrows seemed to flow off targets and systematic explosions began picking them off."

Maxi nodded as Kilik finished "Sounds like what some englishmen were talking about down by the peir. A man that possesses an unseen ultimate shield and a woman that commands a power of the same nature." Link narrowed his eyes and nodded confirming that those were most definately the two.

Cassandra shook her head "So now you must fight your own kin here." she breathed out in pity of the swordsman.

Link decided to finish this off and pushed off the wall stepping before them "One year ago the kingdom was still at peace. Garen had recovered and married another friend of each of us, Malon. Hyrule and Altea were officially made into a permanent alliance with the marriage of Zelda and Marth. As much as I care for her I know that he would treat her well." he chuckled with a light smile.

He sighed lightly shaking his head "Anyway, I was still on call to guard the Soul Edge shard as it constantly seemed to attract those that lusted for power to our boarders. Then Zelda had a dream, it was a message from this world of somebody requesting the one that can resist the shard of demonic steel."

Xianghua nodded as she looked at him halting from her polishing of Krita-Yuga "And that would have been you, right?" Link nodded and looked back to the group "She told me that the shards must be taken and along with the sword destroyed. So I, following the orders wished upon me and my own vow to protect my country came here, to destroy the Soul Edge and hopefully break the strands of influence it has placed over my people and the rest of the world." There was a definite silence before he looked up "And that is my story."

Cassandra breathed deeply as she looked at him all the more impressed with him, to be taking on such by himself seemed to be insane, but from where she sat and the way he told of this it was the truth. Cassandra stood up walking to him "Are you requesting to travel with us? If the Soul Edge and the Azure Nightmare are truly still alive in the world they will not wait long before making it known. It will be very dangerous." Link looked up at the girl around his own age before him. He reached forward cupping her cheek softly in his hand, she gasped upon reaction the others all looked at them.

Link's eyes were serious as he studied her own "You just attacked me and never got close to placing your blade against my flesh. You are very skilled, yet your eyes hold the gaze of a soul sharpened through training and hardship, but like a brand new blade you've yet to dull at all. For lack of a better term, you are a virgin to the battlefield. Why are you going?" he asked her as if concerned, or maybe he just didn't want dead weight.

Cassandra pushed his hand away feeling somewhat insulted "I can take care of myself! Now are you looking to join us or not!" she half shouted obviously frustrated over Link's judgment of her. But he was right, she had never been in true battle. She had sparred, brought down a few would-be thieves and could stomach the sight of blood, but had never killed anybody.

Kilik stood up along with Xianghua and the others. The five of them stood before him "Its okay with all of us." Xianghua said cheerfully. Sophitia smiled at Link with a nod "It will be nice to have another blade Sir Link." Maxi nodded as he flipped a thumbs up.

Link breathed before sighing heavily "Alright. I gladly accept your offer on one condition. I will be the one to confront the Soul Edge's master. If I fail you're welcome to jump in, I just want my chance to make him pay myself." Kilik and Maxi both nodded. Sophitia however grew deathly silent she didn't know how to feel about that, would he stop to think about the man trapped by the Soul Edge or would he kill Nightmare outright without even attempting to bring Seigfried salvation.

Maxi suddenly moved over to Link and wrapped one arm around Link's shoulders placing him in a friendly grab "So what happens? After we take down a few demons, one demonic sword and whatever else fate throws at us you head back home? Sounds pretty cut and dry." Link suddenly went silent and slapped Maxi's arm off his shoulders walking away moving past Cassandra who had calmed down a little.

She turned around to face him walking up grabbing him by the shoulder "Hey what's wrong? Is there complications to you getting home? We have one of the best naval forces in the world, just point us in the right direction."

Link slowly turned to face them looking at Cassandra, she was so much like her. Innocent, caring, loving of her friends, like an angel in the form of a mortal. Link shook his head as he looked at the group "Who said anything about going back. My lands. My world cannot afford to be known by those of the outside world, if I return I risk taking the taint of the Soul Edge back with me along with other that will wish to harness similar power in my country." everything seemed to go silent with pity or surprise from the group. Link fought back the painful truth "To be blunt, I cannot go back. Ever."

Next Chapter: Plannings of the Light

(Voice of Xianghua) Loyalty to one's lands. Loyalty to one's royalty. Loyalty to one's orders. What loyalty can be so great that anybody would follow orders so blindly and throw themselves from their own life? I don't understand. Mitsurugi's letter carries news and the call to reunion, hopefully we will be meeting with him and the other Eastern Seekers soon. I just hope that we can find someway to help Link, it isn't fair what he is being put through. 


	6. Plannings of the Light

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing. I do however own the original characters that are from neither series Soul Caliber II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Five: Plannings of the Light

"To be blunt, I cannot go back. Ever." needless to say that the members of the White Wind were now feeling pretty guilty as their actions had unintentionally caused him to leave his home to come here and protect it. Cassandra stood up as Link started to walk off toward the exit not wanting to waste anymore of their time "Wait Link!" she called grabbing him by the arm stopping him in his tracks.

Maxi leaned toward Kilik "Is it just me or is she really hanging on to him?"

Xianghua looked and giggled "I think they make a cute couple."

Sophitia rolled her eyes as they spoke of her sister, their lifestyle revolved around being considerate for the fates of others, Cassandra was just more prepared to voice her concern. She was sure however, that all of them wanted to be sure that Link wasn't running out on them.

Cassandra tugged on Link's arm keeping him from moving, he looked back at her a slightly confused look on his face. Cassandra spoke loudly at him putting alot of feeling into her words "What are you going to do Link? Where are you going?" Link looked back at her, his eyes seemed a little saddened by his looking back on what had happened. He'd been in this new world for half a year and he had thought he had settled in by now, but looking back had been far more painful than he expected painful.

Link placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder "Don't worry. I'm just going back to get somebody." Cassandra stepped back lightly feeling a little embarrassed until Kilik walked up, his rod idly balanced on his shoulder while his hand held one end "Getting somebody? Who exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

Link crossed his arms and chuckled "You're already taking that tone? I met her in the north eastern valleys. I told her of my mission and she decided to take me to you. Do you honestly think I got this far on my own?" Cassandra looked at him a little surprised, she then found her asking herself why she expected that he could have.

Kilik meanwhile only chuckled "So your not some sort of a miracle that can organize any scenario. You just know how to pick your friends when it comes down to it." Link chuckled and nodded. Kilik motioned him off but told him to return as soon as possible.

As Link started to walk away once again Cassandra spoke up "Hey Link." he looked back at her starting to get a little tired of being stopped dead in his tracks. Cassandra smiled as she winked at him "Try to smile a little. We have all suffered because of that sword so feel free to share any memories you have. See Maxi over there, he was nearly killed and almost forgot all about Kilik and Xianghua. He has regained what he has lost, if it is in our power we will not allow you to be cast aside like this." she announced. It was a promise that she could only hope she could eventually back up.

Link looked at the groups eldest member and nodded slightly "Hm. That is tough. I'll be back in about an hour. Maybe you know her." Cassandra nodded and waved him off. Link walked out past Araydan and out the way he came in. Cassandra returned to the garden along with Kilik. Sophitia wandered around the garden admiring the flowers, though they must have paled in comparison with the beautiful gardens in Japan that Taki had spoken of. Xianghua meanwhile joined Maxi in mocking Cassandra over her actions around Link, she of course denied it constantly claiming that another blade would be welcome if they travel. Eventually Kilik came around and started discussing traveling plans.

Link returned about an hour or so later from the Inn that he had stayed in the night before carrying a bag over his left shoulder, he also carried another over his right only it seemed to be more packed than the other and it had odd art work on it. To his right was a shorter figure wearing a cape of white over her, she didn't seem to be from nearby as her decent seemed to be southeast Asian. She was much shorter than Link, she couldn't have been more than five feet if not shorter, she had raven black hair tied off in a pair of ponytails resting on her shoulders. A pair of large dark eyes that showed of the innocence of the young girl no older than fifteen or sixteen. A positive nature made up her face as she walked into the gardens alongside Link.

Cassandra looked up from her debate with Xianghua over what they were more likely to run in to before they managed to face the still living Azure Nightmare. Xianghua insisted that he'd probably be using those berserkers lead by Astaroth whom he could have easily recovered. Cassandra was more concerned over the army of lizardmen that Sophitia spoke of. Apparently they were lead by one that was once human and the only one with a name, Renzor.

"Hey, he's back." Sophita called everybody to attention. Link dropped his bag on the ground and placed the other one down, the girl placed hers down as well. A pair of odd blades could be seen from the bag, not a weapon any of them had seen before but definitely a weapon.

Kilik was the first up and back to Link, he looked toward the sun checking the time "What took you so long?" he asked sarcastically.

The girl spoke, her voice was meek but clearly she wasn't as shy as her looks told her to be "You try getting around these streets when you've never been here before. It is hard to move around with all these people. We also have to put some effort into concealing Link's ears." Link huffed lightly at this before standing against the wall. The girl winced her eyes shut "Sorry. It's a really sensitive subject he must hide himself because of where he is from. Otherwise, he's pretty much human." She said.

Sophitia stepped over with her ever present grace following her as she stepped forward the others looked up at the new arrival "My name is Sophitia. Founder of the White Wind who may I ask are you?" she asked in her friendly caring voice.

The short girl nodded and gave a small bow "I've been wanting to join you since I learned of you. My name is Talim. Like Link and yourselves, I also seek to claim and cast the Soul Edge from men's grasp. It is a pleasure to meet you." she said.

It wasn't long after that Sophitia inquired as to exactly who she was. Talim politely answered the question "I come from the Wind Village in Southeast Asia. I am a Wind Priestess, I have been trained my entire life to cast out evil and corruption. If you wish to efficiently track the down the shards and the Soul Edge first it is imperative that I join you." Xianghua crossed her arms as she looked at Talim "Why is that? You're barely of age to take such a journey."

"Because she can sense the shards of the soul shards." Link said this from his place against the wall, he looked up at them his sapphire eyes burning with a serious aura "Though others can sense the evil Soul Edge produces Talim can pick up the aura from an incredible distance even when the shard is remaining dormant. That is how we found you, we followed the aura of your shards and we have reason to believe that the Azure Nightmare will be moving soon." he said in dark seriousness.

Cassandra looked at Link who seemed to have calmed down from Maxi's words "And what makes you say that?" she asked him.

Talim spoke up with the same seriousness as Link "Because the aura from the northwest has grown stronger, Soul Edge has healed and retrieved a good amount of its former self. If it managed to completely obtain the shards, its power will far surpass anything seen beofre."

Maxi looked at them and spoke up "Mitsurugi and Taki had suspicions of this. I told them I was going to head here as soon as I could. That's probably how they knew to send a message here. Xianghua, lets see just what that note says." The young Chinese warrior nodded and brought up the note given to them earlier tearing the end off. She then unrolled the paper and looked at the note, all of it was given in Japanese kanji. The letter had to be addressed in English, luckily Maxi could read and write Japanese and Xianghua had mastered it as a second language. Xianghua brought it up and read.

"Lady Sophitia Alexandria of Athens. As much as myself and Taki appreciate your support in the search for the shards of the blade. I'm afraid that it has grown alot worse in the past few weeks. Soul Edge still lives and its master still draws breath, there is no doubt of this. It is my concern that their armies will be moving soon once again. We'll be heading to the southern port of India a month after this letter has been sent. We can all regroup there. Time is of the essence. Hurry."

Xianghua rolled up the small scroll and already they were discussing plans for the voyage to India, however it seemed that Link and Talim still had to speak. Link began "It seems that we have arrived just in time, but there is one detour that I must insist that we make. We have heard rumors of a shard in a city called Istanbul and Talim has confirmed that there is a definate energy coming from that direction." Sophitia nodded and claimed that it was on the way.

Maxi breathed before speaking "You just leave everything to me and my ship, we'll be the primary transportation for as long as we can. We should be able to get supplies in Turkey and then we head to...the Harbor of Souls." Kilik lowered his head in remorse as he remembered that was where they first met and where Astaroth and his berserkers destroyed his entire crew and sank his original ship. Maxi had gone off near the end of their journey to hunt down Astroth and take his vengeance and had vanished for the longest time before arriving in Athens with his old ship, the Eternal Wind.

Kilik looked to Sophitia "It's your call Sophitia." he stated. The Athenian beauty sighed as she didn't seem too keen on leaving her husband and home so soon after getting back from another trip. She knew that this hunt would be much longer than a few days or weeks and there was also the fact that she would be putting her life on the line.

The journey to Germany where she confronted Nightmare and getting back to Athens took a good year of time, she was married two years ago and her and her husband were considering children at this point in time. She looked up "Alright. Everybody prepare yourselves for travel. I'd like everybody at the docks by dawn, I should hope that is where your ship is." she said towards the former pirate.

Maxi nodded "Yeah I had her anchored there about a month ago. I'll head down there later and get everything sorted out for the voyage."

Maxi then looked to Link and Talim "So I assume that these two are coming as well." Link looked up at the buccaneer and nodded silently.

Talim nodded before crossing her arms "Did I not already state that it wouldn't be in your best interest to track Nightmare without me, I can sense the sword even when it is not being put to use." she announced. Sophitia looked towards Maxi not wanting any bloodshed caused by that sword that they could avoid, in spite of her age a great maturity and strength could be sensed within the young woman.

Maxi held up his hands in defense "Esh. Harsh. I was just making sure. I'll be down at the docks long before first light, so you can find me there." Maxi turned and headed back to the room which the temple was allowing him to use for the time being. The day certainly was getting exciting.

Sophitia walked over to Link and Talim "The rooms at the temple are taken by travelers at the moment. You're welcome to stay with us if you wish. My house has a guest room." Talim and Link looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Kilik and Xianghua looked at each other then to Cassandra who was obviously going with them "Cassandra come on." Xianghua called as her and Kilik set out to go sparing. She followed looking back and Link and giving him a small smile before continuing on. Sophitia smiled stiffening a laugh before she looked at Link "They think my sister has a crush on you?" Link looked at her awkwardly.

Sophitia figured as much he probably didn't understand a lot of words. She was just glad he could understand English at all. Talim giggled as she looked at Link "It means a heavy attraction to a person for no obvious reasons. You don't know why but you just feel you like them though you hardly know them."

Link looked back as Cassandra walked out of the garden his cheeks grew a slight shade of pink as he realized this "Oh I see." he shook it off almost instantly "I really don't think so Sophitia." he stated in defense.

Talim giggled looking at Sophitia "He may be tough, but he can be really cute at times." Sophitia gave an angelic laugh at this. Link sighed as he stepped away picking up the bags he looked back at Sophitia.

"Just call me when your ready to go." he said as he walked back into the main hall where he waited. Not to much later Link and Talim would be staying with Sophitia and Rothion and sleep a good nine hours, little did they know however that while they slept darkness was gathering in the north...

Next Chapter: Plannings of the Darkness

(Voice of Nightmare) Preparation is the beginning of all great wars. Determination is the fuel of all great armies. Obedience is the chain that binds servants to their master. Too long has it been since my blade has tasted blood. Too long has it been since those pitiful mortals have trembled before my shadow. Too long has it been since I have brought this world a curtain of fear. I was broken and now am repaired. My sword was shattered and now is whole. My resolve was unguided and now is directed. The Black Wind rises from the northwest seas. 


	7. Plannings of the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing. I do however own the original characters that are from neither series -  
Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Six: Plannings of the Darkness

Hundreds of miles north of the grand city of Athens and many more to the northwest from the country of Ireland, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean was a single island that seemed to radiate with the darkness. The island was closed off from any kind of naval attack by the large ring of forty foot rock spires that circled the island as if held in place by some sort of a hellish force. A constant storm hung over the dark island the thunder almost as numerous as the rain drops, all controlled by the same evil as the rocky defense line. Once a small private Irish Settlement is was easily taken over by the servants of the evil sword and now served as the Black Wind's headquarters.

The entire island reflected the destructive intentions of the Black Wind and their commanding warriors who followed the evil of the sword. The villages and homes that remained standing now only served as homes for the troop of violent berserkers commanded by Cervantes all of them subjects of the power granted to him by the Soul Edge. The caves on the southern end of the island lead deep into the earth where great wealth in gold was located and eventually fiery pits, this is where the creature called Renzor and his fierce ban of lizardmen resided. The forest on the west side of the island served as the fortress for the barbarians lead by the titan that was Astaroth. The island also contained a dock where several ships were located including the Adrian and Nightmare's own vessel.

Lastly there was a large castle that served as more of a fortress that had been constructed by the inhabitants while they were still on the island. This is where the top ranks of the Black Wind resided when they returned to base, the island over all was a large shield to protect the destroying wind. However, after three years the leader had returned and the Black Wind was prepared to leave the island and continue their murderous search for the shards of the Soul Edge. Several of the underlings were loading the four battleships taken from the British Navy but it paled in comparison to the vessel that had been constructed.

An ominous shadow in the shape of a ship that was easily ten times larger and longer than any traditional battleship. The hull of the ship was lined with black armor plated and at least six inches of the strongest pine. The massive sails of the ship were the hides of cattle, sewn together and still stained with the blood from the slaughter. And topped off with the Black Wind's seal, a massive eye in front of two crossed swords, thorny vines growing around them. The bridge of the ship was atop a platform at the back of the ship and the private chambers of their leader were located at the year of the ship where a large window of crimson glass was, starring ominously back at those that dared to cross this ship's path. The Shadow of the Seas, the Nemesis.

The large ship due to the fact it outranked any other ship in size also served as the base for the commanders and special forces of the Black Wind while the four smaller ships served as transports for the standard troops, commanded by the more gifted and competent soldiers. As the orcs and goblins under the command of the Soul Edge stepped up the ramps carrying the supplies for the commanders they steered clear of the starboard side. This is where the Lizardmen were currently standing watching the much weaker creatures with dislike. The superior Uruk-Hai were much more efficient, the goblins and orcs were essentially slaves to the Soul Edge. Of course there was some pride in seeing them, they had all been crafted using alchemy from the remains of those that dared to stand against the blade. Thus they possessed an eternally loyal, soulless army.

The leader of the Lizardmen, called Renzor, glared out across the ship watching his brethren mingle and speak to one another in a speech that seemed innately understood due to the reptilian qualities they all possessed. However, while they were smooth and emerald green their commander appeared to be much more of a threat. Renzor's scales was darker and spiked out, rock solid red spines came from the back of his neck and his teeth clearly showed with every motion of his mouth. His slitted eyes glanced towards the Barbarians and his regular partner.

The titan called Astaroth, whom had come from the same origins as himself, was often teamed up with himself and his own. And like himself and his own, the differences between Astaroth and his underlings was painfully obvious. He stood taller than all of them and his ax was much more powerful with the cursed energy that coursed through the alloy. His heart beat outside his chest and his eyes bore no pupils even though it was obvious he could see, he was also a muscular man of inhuman proportions. Of course, that was the only difference between himself and the destructive men that followed his command. He was far from human.

The behemoth looked at Renzor from his place leaning against the mast, his bloodstained ax resting beside him "Those worms are worthless." He muttered in his heavy throaty voice. Renzor just nodded his head in agreement.

Two others stood on the platform just outside the bridge, after joining them the alchemic temptress known to them as Ivy had taken the liberty of suggesting the help of otherworldly forces. These two were both demons from the nether realm. One stood at about six feet, possessed red and black flesh, rippling muscles, a pair of black wings that resembled those of a bat, claws on his hands and feet. His face possessed blazing yellow eyes and seemed vaguely human. He may have possessed a human mouth but it was edged with sharp fangs. Ivy had smiled at the sight of this demon, while he was currently in his darker form he had the ability to revert into a very handsome young man. Kind of like both beauty and beast. Such was the nature of the demon, Diablo.

The other was silent as he stood there with his arms crossed. Most of his six foot frame was black and rippling with powerful muscles. He held a very long gold and black rod in his right hand while he wore sleeveless black and gold armor. His feet came out to be like that of a large dog, his head was even more of a mystery. His neck was long and came out to be in the shape of a rather familiar figure, that was often worshipped in Egypt. Ivy couldn't contain herself that this demon had agreed to help them, it was none other than a demon that had walked the earth. A demon who felt he had the authority to judge when I person should die, the dark demon Anubis. 

Diablo stepped closer to the railing his human form appearing as he leaned forward, cloths appeared on his dark leather armor and regular cloth. He brushed a strand of his rather long black hair from his view as he looked at them "Tell me again why we are helping these mortals?" he said with a disliking scowl.

Anubis looked at him speaking, but his mouth didn't move "I prefer being here on earth instead of that empty void. I will not allow myself to be sent from this realm again. Not even if it means serving mortals for a little while." Diablo shrugged as he looked over the darkened horizon.

Diablos chuckled lightly "It's a shame that nobody takes the summons seriously, how easy would it be to seduce a human woman into allowing me out." Anubis didn't answer and stepped away walking towards the Captain's private quarters, his spear trailing behind him grasped in his right hand, his other one resting at his side.

The inside of the room was just what would be expected from their once human leader. The floor was made up of stained black hardwood and covered with fine gold and red carpet, French decoration obviously. To the left was his armor the ominous armor created by Soul Edge for him once and could be willed to create again, if it was not to be used it was to remind the unwelcome where they had just stepped. There was a large desk to the right lined in gold and onyx, not like he ever used it this was the only part of his cabin that could be entered freely by those that he deemed worthy to ask questions or make suggestions of strategy.

Past the desk on the wall was a stairway that lead up to his own private cabin where he was not to be disturbed. If the door was locked you were entering at your own risk. If he treated the ship anything like the fortress if anybody entered without his approval they would be cut down almost instantly. Anubis had already witnessed one of the mortals that served the Soul Edge be cut down for entering while he was speaking with Ivy, Renzor and himself. It had not been a very pretty mess to look at or to clean up.

Anubis looked up toward the large window that made up the wall of the fifteen foot tall room, feeling out the presence of the sword. The infamous Soul Edge was leaned up against the wall the eye closed as the blade slept and to the right of it looking out the window was it's master currently not in his armor. His unnaturally long dirty blond hair came to his upper legs, he was shirtless, but wore common black pants. The scars from the Soul Edge could be seen, his arms were crossed right over left, both hands human sized. It was odd how the Soul Edge had adapted to him because only when he took hold of it did his hair change blood red and that malformed claw that could obliterate anything appear. It was obvious however that the immortal was probably one of only a few that could find any fascination with the Azure Nightmare.

There were two other presences in the room. Anubis looked over toward the desk spying two figures there. One was female and sat on the edge of the desk, she wore a very tight fitting black body suit and carried a short sword at her waist. She was somewhat modest as she wore some finely crafted armor over her breasts, her lower arms were also covered by armor pieces. To top it all off her feet wore rather thin material boots allowing them to cling to her feet. She was Karenna, an exceptionable specimen that had been lead to Soul Edge by one of the fragments that continued to fuel some very unique powers. The odd thing was her ears and how they stuck out to a point, but their leader had demanded that nobody pry lest they wish for their death.

The other was the serious one, the one that had come along with her to bow and swear their eternal loyalty to the Soul Edge. His dress was pretty average, but made him look like some sort of a northern noble. The brown leather boots, black pants, a blue and silver armor over his chest and an azure cape from his shoulders. He possessed short cut dark blond hair that seemed to have no particular style to it. He also had fingerless gloves that fit his hands perfectly. His arms were crossed and he held a staff on one hand he claimed enhanced his powers. Anubis found it strange that having a Renzor and a Renzo wasn't as confusing as was expected. Considering one was a monster and the other was could almost be considered beneath or beyond human. He didn't care.

Anubis ignored the two looking toward the groups leader stepping up along side him, the blond bangs kept his eyes hidden from the side, he was clearly strong enough to wield the massive Soul Edge considering just how built his body was. He spoke, his voice deep in a serious tone "What is it Anubis?" he asked simply.

Anubis crossed his arms simply the black armored wings moving to fold against his back as he straightened up "Where exactly are we heading, considering how long this search will be?" He asked as casually as he could.

Nightmare was silent, but looked at his sword which bared scars where the shards had broken off, it was a sight that he wasn't pleased by. "We are going to continue and find the pieces to my blade, as well as those of the sister sword. We have many reports and we will simply take them as they come, I'm sure that you have no objections to that." he said not even looking back at him.

Anubis narrowed his eyes as Nightmare spoke to him, Nightmare had been on this quest to retrieve the shards of his sword. Though none of them rejoined with the Soul Edge. They were being put to better uses like controlling less cooperative warriors and keeping a useful few amoungst the living. It was beginning to frustrate him that Nightmare gave no clear reason to why they sought the shards, perhaps to prevent others from gaining the power to defeat him and claim the Soul Edge. Anubis crossed his arms and growled, he had heard much of the Soul Swords. Soul Edge was a blade of negative aura. The spirit sword called the Soul Calibur was the rival of the soul sword. Two blades, bickering between light and darkness. Battling an endless duel across history.

Suddenly the door opened again Anubis turned his head, Nightmare looked back slowly, Renzo jumped to attention and Karenna gripped her sword. There was a slight chuckle from the doorway as a small sly smile came across the seductive indigo lips of Isabella Valentine also known as Ivy. As before she wore the deep black and purple leathers that gripped and showed off her well crafted body. The short stock of platinum hair obstructed the view of one eye as she looked at the group, her left hand which wore perfectly measured bronze armor rested at her hip. The bronze claws nipped at her treasure, the snake sword given life by the Soul Edge, Valentine.

Karenna huffed as she slid her sword back into it's sheath, since she arrived there and joined the Black Wind she never did care for Ivy or her constant questions about her innate control over the black magic that took humans decades to master. What was amazing was that since she had gotten hold of the Valentine and it was given its power she didn't seem to age, in fact while she should have been around thirty she appeared to be around her mid twenties. The platinum hair was obviously a factor of this as well.

Ivy looked around the room at the mismatched group of four "Is there something that I missed?" she asked in her seductive tone as she looked at the leader. Karenna rolled her eyes knowing of Ivy's nature, once the timid young heiress to a legacy she had been turned into this temptress by the Soul Edge's influence through her own weapon. At least that was Karenna's theory, but then again she could name a few times that greater transformations had happened. There was no way to tell if Ivy had truly been seduced by the Soul Edge or if she was trying to seduce it's master.

Anubis looked at Ivy then to Nightmare. Nightmare looked at Ivy "What is it?" he asked simply turning to face her, the dark red eyes revealed though they lacked the glow Soul Edge placed on them when in hand. Ivy smiled as she crossed her arms under her breast boosting them up slightly as if to show them off, Karenna groaned in disgust of this as she stood up and stepped out followed by Renzo. Ivy looked back "Loading is complete and we're ready to cast off."

Anubis nodded at this "Then tell your father we're ready to cast off." Ivy narrowed her eyes before she went for the Valentine. The blade came to life and lashed out at Anubis who quickly raised his staff, the sword separated into several segments the wire in the middle wrapping around Anubis's neck who used the rod to keep it from his throat.

Ivy glared at him "Though he is in fact my biological father he has not done a thing to earn that title off my tongue or anybody else's toward me." she said seriously. Nightmare gave off an amused smile as she recalled the snake sword slamming it into the sheath. She then crossed her arms "Do it yourself, Demon." Anubis stepped out of the room allowing the door to slam behind him caught by the wind.

Ivy smiled as she stepped across the hardwood floor to Nightmare who still looked out the window waiting for the ship to start moving. Ivy stopped behind him running her right hand over his shoulder in a seductive stroke "So exactly what are your intentions for those shards, darling?" she asked. Nightmare turned his head to look at her with a questioning glance before shrugging, he trusted her more than Anubis as she had been with them for over two years.

Nightmare scoffed looking back out the window "I'm not going to allow another sword to be forged from the shards of the soul sword, be it created from the light or from the darkness it would destroy the balance. This world will not be destroyed because of my sloth, it will be subjugated under my hand, one way or another." He said with a vile smirk.

He looked back at her a smile across his face as he did so "This world is ment to be conquered not destroyed. Anybody who gained yet another sword would intend having those intentions and in their infinite stupidity destroy what they long to take over." he explained. The Soul Edge could become stronger while the Soul Calibur weakened, but the overall balance of light and darkness would not be greatly tipped. A new blade being put into the unique flow between the blades would cause the energy to go wild and create a disaster much worse than the Evil Seed.

Ivy ran her hands over his shoulders feeling the light change in softness where his arm would become malformed by gripping the sword "Yes. It would be rather boring if everything came to an end all of a sudden wouldn't it?" she whispered warmly into his ear.

He turned around suddenly grabbing both of her wrist "Not now Isabella." he said as he stepped away from her and towards the door. While it wouldn't have surprised him if her affections were authentic, he wouldn't have given doubts that she merely wished to get her father's goat. Her professional obediance had washed away the day she discovered that she was not serving the sword, by the manevolent spirit of its original host. Without a need to possess somebody, it significantly made up for the absence of the shards and the sword was essentially as strong as it had been.

The Azure Nightmare stretched out his hand and on will Soul Edge moved flying to his waiting grasp. On contact his arm transformed instantly, his hair flashed before turning crimson and his eyes caught a haunting glow. He looked toward her seeing the displeased look on her face "Perhaps at a time when Cervantes is less likely to come barging in here with news." Ivy smiled before following him out the door.

On the deck the two or three hundred troops stood, all of them ready for battle or assault, whichever of the two came first. The Soul Edge's single eye looked at this with delight as soon more souls would feed it and the lesser sister blade, which would be absorbed should its owner manage to outlive his usefulness. It was a possible event in the near future that Ivy would have traded anything in the world to witness or participate in.

Cervantes de Leon stood there as the ship started to move with his putrid violet skin that grew even darker by the day, it was to the point that he could hardly be considered human any longer. He was still garbbed in that ridiculous display of naval coats and slacks, several sashes taken from enemy captains hanging around his belt. The armor that he brought out when he felt it was nessesary worked a great deal better when it came to combat, even if he was truly immortal. He felt the pain when he was pierced, but the power that had been granted to him by the Soul Edge kept him alive no matter what kind of wounds he suffered. Having been forced to turn over the sword he had crafted from a number of shards over to Nightmare in exchange for renewed immortality, he now only carried Adriene and Turmoil. He was still nowhere near his original strength, not that the master of the sword believed he deserved any better.

Ivy looked at Nightmare ignoring the presence of her father as another concern came to mind "What are your intentions for that disgusting creature below? We feed it and continue to let it stay amongst the living after it came to the island and attempted to kill you." She said referring to an odd man that could just be recognized as a human, but the way he bent made her sick to her stomach.

Nightmare huffed at the scuffle that could hardly have been considered a battle before he spoke to his third ranking commander "Leave him to me. When we release him the shard in his head will be under my blade's control and if we cannot use him, I'm sure something will manifest within the dark recesses of your mind." Ivy smirked at this feeling the aspect of having a personal attack dog in the shape of a man to be entertaining. She didn't need another servant for she already had one whos obedience pleased her very much.

Cervantes looked at Ivy who narrowed her gaze before looking straight ahead, he ignored it and looked at Nightmare, or rather the Soul Edge that he clutched in his claws, the blade that he unyieldingly believed to be his. "Where are we heading?" he asked.

Nightmare looked at him "You need not worry old man. We have enough to supply us for three months and if we run out we can always secure more, we will take the shards as they come." he shared as the ship approached the ring of rocks. Nightmare looked towards the defense line to the island and slowly raised the Soul Edge, the rotations of the rocks stopped and a gap opened before them. The Nemesis and the other four ships passed through safely, they were on their path of destruction once again.

Next Chapter: Reflections of the Past

(Voice of Maxi) I never thought I'd get back on the sea. Spending all that time in Athens was starting to make me soft. We finally depart from Athens and I already smell that sweet salt air, however it seems that our newest friends still have a few secrets. Not my right to pry, I'm only after one thing and I only need to make it known that I am going after that and they arn't allowed to. My reasons are my own, and should he still be breathing so is Astaroth. 


	8. Reflections of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Caliber: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Seven: Reflections of the Past

The night had gone by fairly well. It had been a good while since either Link or Talim had actually gotten a good nine hours of sleep due to the fact people in cities usually didn't like foreigners or people who refused to show their faces. This passionate suspicion sometimes went so far as to sneaking through locked doors to get a better look, Talim never took that very well. Sophitia and Rothion had a very nice house, and they were obviously very much in love as was shown through their actions and hospitality.

While Talim smiled at this calling Sophitia lucky, Link could only sigh as he had seen it all before, but he wouldn't burden them by letting them know how he felt about it. There was also the resemblance between Sophitia and one of his best friends, that wasn't exactly helping much. But he could tolerate it, knowing that Sophitia wasn't her. He wouldn't look to Sophitia as her. He hadn't acted on his emotions and it was his own fault he wasn't with her. Maybe it wasn't ment to be. He wasn't going to bother fighting it any longer. He had moved on, even if he did have some regret about his own foolishness.

Needless to say Sophitia didn't want to leave Rothion once again to fight the Soul Edge, but he knew that it was her duty and that was admirable in Link's eyes. She had trained to be the one to end the terror caused by the forsaken blades and possessed a firm devotion that would lead her to victory. Rothion trusted her to make her own choices and didn't try to be over protective, perhaps that was his mistake or perhaps that was his merit. Rothion kissed Sophitia softly holding her in his arms, she held him back, it was an embrace that they wished they could hold forever.

Sophitia looked up at him tracing one hand along the line of his jaw, taking in his features and hoping that she would not forget them over this unknown period of time "I'll come back. You know I will." she whispered.

Rothion nodded to his wife "I know Sophi. I know." he said nodding her head.

Link leaned against the tree as this went on, Talim looked at him "You sure are acting glum." she said to him almost annoyed.

Link crossed his arms over his chest "It isn't polite to watch lovers exchange farewells. At least not where I come from. It is a bad omen to have witnesses to such things." he said.

Talim groaned "I know whats wrong. Your homesick aren't you?" Link looked at her and sighed. Talim was right. She was just as misplaced as he was, but it was pretty obvious that whenever he looked at a couple such at Sophitia and Rothion he only saw what might have been. Link wasn't sure how he felt at that point, but never acted upon his emotions once he saw she was happy with her choice. He was almost amazed by his acceptance, but now he was at a loss. In this alien world which was a far cry from any strange country or forbidden land he had visited, would he ever have another chance at obtaining that bond with another, especially if he was trapped here.

Sophitia started toward them holding a bag over her shoulder "Well. As they say lets get this show on the road." she said. Rothion suddenly spoke up from behind them as he walked up holding something in his hands which caught Link's attention.

"Hold on a second! Link you should probably take this." Rothion handed Link what appeared to be a full length blade which possessed the same overall shape and weight of the Master Sword. It explained why he had requested to see it and was still able to promise he wouldn't tamper with it, he had crafted Link another one. Link just hoped he didn't expect it to be a replacement.

"What is this?" Link asked looking back at his own sword. Rothion crossed his arms "Figured you'd need it. Sophi has told me a lot about those swords of the soul. The Soul Edge always knew when she was coming and could always feel her out when she drew her sword. I suggest you keep your own sword sheathed until you are in their midst, then draw your own enchanted blade. Sophi just didn't want to burden you with the trouble of searching out and buying another suitable sword." The swords smith explained.

Link examined the sword and nodded as he placed it on the side of his belt "I figured as much. Thank you." he stated with a light bow.

Rothion nodded patting his shoulder "No thanks needed. Any friend of the White Wind is a friend of this family. Besides that it was her idea." he said motioning towards his blushing warrior wife.

Sophitia smiled "Bless you Rothion." after a few more farewells Rothion and the group parted ways. The sword was made much like Sophitia's only the length and weight matched the Master Sword and that saved a lot of time when it came to finding another sword and adjusting to it. The grip and hilt bore a slight resemblence to the Omega and Alpha Swords carried by the sisters, but it was created from a much more basic metal and didn't possess the same power. Link was thankful however that he had a blade that he could use without giving away the position of their group. It would be bad if after one day he had become an inconvenience.

About an hour of walking later Sophitia, Talim and Link, who continued to wear his cloak and hood arrived at the harbors of Athens just as the sun started to rise. Walking down the length of the pier they all looked up to spy Maxi at the helm of a very well made ship clearly made for private traveling. He waved to them calling them over, they all boarded via the ramp to the side of the ship. Kilik stood with Xianghua at the back of the ship looking down at the harbor.

Cassandra stood next to the mast and looked up to them as they walked on board and smiled lightly as she looked at her group "Did you guys over sleep?" she then made eyes toward her sister "Or did you and Rothion make your goodbyes last again?" she giggled.

Sophitia rolled her eyes at her younger sister by four years "Don't make me toss you over board." she said walking to Maxi, though she furiously attempted to hide the blush that had crawled to her cheeks.

Sophitia looked over the map that Maxi had brought "How long do you estimate this trip will take?" she asked, though it was likely she would ask many more times before she saw her hometown harbor again.

Maxi looked at the sails "We have a very strong wind coming from the west so if it keeps up I'd say we arrive off the coast of turkey by tomorrow's nightfall at the latest." Maxi looked down as Talim and Link proceeded to drop off their bags and pull up the ramp, it wasn't long after words that the ship was released and headed out onto the Mediterranean. Maxi looked at the Fata-Buru the weapon that he had used to defeat Astroth before, returned to him by Kilik he would make sure that it would be the weapon to finish him off. "I'm coming you bastard. This time you won't come back." he vowed, wishing his words could be carried by the wind.

The day was very fine for travel as the ship known as the Eternal Wind moved toward the East. Istanbul wasn't really all that far from Athens and it probably wouldn't take them that till nightfall the next day to arrive. While Maxi had planned to leave the village he didn't plan on doing so alone, some of those who wanted to help protect their homeland had also tagged along. Four people from that village. He himself served as the navigator and the captain due to his extensive knowledge of boats and ships. He had two ship hands that worked as defenders if the ship was attacked. One was a cook. And the final was a gunner that had agreed to come along.

One was a man named Michael, around the age of 32 and Stephan who was 25. They were brothers of northwestern decent. Michael (at 6'2) was easily the strongest person on the ship, though he didn't plan to fight. He had a family to return to. Stephan (at 5'8) while he was the younger and never really worked in manual labor worked as the ship's second defender. J

uan was their cook but also had some knowledge of horses and fishing and had agreed to take care of the horses and teach them how to fish if it came to be needed. However he refused to fight in defense or assault.

The other however had claimed that he would gladly fight. While he had some skill with a sword he had more reliance in the duel pistols he carried at his belt. A young man in his twenties and standing at around 5'9 this young man was called Jack Kutter.

Jack leaned against the deck looking at the saber that he carried, though he had more preference towards the rapidly popular firearms, the rifle and the two flintlock pistols were evidence of this. Michael meanwhile stood at the back of the ship, he basically worked as the first mate and would defend the ship if it was needed or help with whatever he could. He had heard tales of the vengeful monster that Maxi chased and if it was still truly alive it would stamp out anybody that had helped the Dandy of the South Seas. Michael wasn't gonna let that happen to his people.

Link took his place against the mast but looked up as Xianghua and Sophitia seemed to be speaking to Talim. Maxi joined in as he over heard knowing the ship would be fine by itself for now. Link ignored it and continued to check over his own belongings.

Xianghua sat up on the railing that was in front of the wheel "So Talim, exactly how did you get involved in this? Why are you here?" she asked in an interested manner.

Sophitia spoke up "I've kind of been wondering the same thing." Maxi was silent not wanting to add any more pressure for all he knew she was the same as Link. Cassandra and Kilik meanwhile had gone with Michael below to check on the horses that Sophitia had ordered to be taken to the ship.

Talim shrugged as she placed down her elbow blade which she was checking over "Well I suppose I can answer that. It really isn't as complicated as Link's or any of your own. I'm only trying to get the sword so I can return it to the darkness from which it came. We all know what happened when the balance was broken the first time right."

Sophitia nodded feeling lightly responsible for what happened to Siegfried, Kilik, Astaroth and Cervantes as well as the others caught in it, though it seemed it was all fortunate when it came to the original members of the Black Wind.

"Yeah. The Evil Seed." Xianghua breathed.

Talim nodded at this "Seven years ago I was struck by it but not effected. But still it gave me the ability to track and feel out the soul shards. I always did feel an ominous feeling to the west. Then all around once the Soul Edge shattered, but the concentration of the main sword was always stronger. A man came to our village hoping to sell what he called a vitality charm. It knew it was a piece and decided to track it. But I was attacked and it was stolen by somebody that was going on about how he was going to take it and destroy it. The point is, mortals must never wield that sword. We are far too weak."

Sophitia nodded "Obviously."

"Most everything that draws breath is."

All eyes turned to Link as he now held a weapon, a two foot bow readied with an arrow. It appeared to be too small to cover any great distance but he held it as if was more than just a bow. Jack scoffed suddenly "Just to let you know a wooden bow and arrow is no match for a pistol kid." Link narrowed his eyes hearing this. He had encountered firearms already and had a great dislike for them, he suddenly turned his bow toward him the tip of the arrowhead seeming to glow for some reason.

"Is that so?" he asked threatening to release it.

Jack held up his hands "Whoa! I'm not bashing on your taste just stating my opinion." he said.

Link lowered his secondary weapon and crossed his arms "Well it isn't needed." he pointed out as he took aim over the sea and fired. The arrow itself was no more than two feet and extremely lightweight but it was fired faster and farther than any Jack had ever seen. Link looked back at him as he returned his bow to his bag along with the quiver containing about fifty of the small arrows. Cassandra and Kilik had just walked out from below deck to see this, the arrow buzzed along the water going out of view completely. Cassandra looked at Link and the serious expression in his eyes, obviously his wish to destroy the Soul Edge was far greater than their own.

Most of them spent the rest of the day speaking with one another mainly learning of Talim's home as Link had retired to the front of the ship where he stood there as if waiting for something. Kilik had made a note that Link's soul was very strong and patient but something was still very ominous about him, it was like he was missing a part of himself. It was odd but his soul seemed cleansed and pure, there was also an odd energy that emitted from him that he had picked up.

Xianghua spoke up "Kilik, are you alright?" she asked him breaking his gaze at Link.

Talim spoke up "You look at him like you don't trust him." she stated crossing her arms and huffing slightly. She had hoped that they were better than that.  
Kilik looked back at Link and shook his head "I rarely trust anybody and I just find it hard to believe that he has just come with so much information. But that isn't it, something it just different about this man. Never mind." he said as he headed to the door that would lead into the lower decks.

Xianghua followed "Where are you going?" she asked him.

Kilik looked out over the sea and shrugged "Been I while since I've been on sea. I'm going to grab something to eat. And evening is fast approaching." he said sleepily.

Xianghua smiled as she slipped her hand into his "I'll join you then. I'm tired of interrogating poor Talim." she stated. They both vanished.

Maxi watched as they vanished. Though he had recognized Kilik and Xianghua from his blurred memories he felt that he had known them his entire life. Despite his amnesia, the price he paid to get his arms and legs back after he was somehow dropped into the underground and nearly killed in the waters that lead him to the village. He chuckled "Wonder exactly why they always leave together." he stated to the others.

The three females looked at him blankly rolling their eyes. Maxi shrugged "Hey! Just being honest." he stated knowing those two were smart and didn't have to be moderated when it came to messages of the heart. The two Athenian females and the priestess however just ignored him.

It wasn't long before darkness did fall and Maxi and crew brought up the sails and all went below decks, all except Link where Juan had prepared a soup for them. Not exactly perfect or fancy but none of them complained, he was after all doing this as a service. Not long after that most of them turned in, all but Maxi who was forced to return to the helm wanting to go as far as possible. Eventually growing weary he called Michael, they pulled and tied up the sails, dropped anchor and left for the lower decks to get some much needed sleep.

The two Athenian sisters had decided to share a room. Though Maxi wasn't surprised when Kilik and Xianghua did the exact same thing. Talim, wanting her privacy to say her prayers took her own room alone. Though Link was nowhere to be found. Maxi didn't think much of it, he had seen Link go down below when he hit the helm again so it was given he didn't fall over board or something stupid like that. He headed for his own cabin and the rest of the night was pretty calm.

Meanwhile being that they had left several days earlier than the members of the white wind, the army that was the black wind was several miles south heading toward the Suez Canal. The Nemesis was heading for the Suez Canal knowing that once they managed to get away from Europe and the Mediterranean it would be easier to pin point exactly where the shards were coming from. Ivy stepped out as she looked at a map then noticed the negative aura, normally an argument. She stepped toward the front of the ship tracking the source of it taking only one guess to who they were.

Nightmare crossed his arms as he looked out over the Mediterranean "If you wanted to scare an entire city into surrender you should have brought the Adrian with you. We are not taking this ship off course to track a single shard. Especially not in that forsaken place." he said toward Cervantes who seemed concerned about a piece of Soul Edge he had picked up.

Ivy sighed as she figured this would happen once one of their spys, one of the lizardmen that had an uncanny ability when it came to swimming as swiftly as a shark came with a message that a merchant claimed to possess a shard of the Soul Edge. The messenger in question had passed her while moving back to get below decks before one of the two took the first blow, that seemed unlikely as another was standing nearby. Renzor looked towards Ivy and rolled his eyes in an almost human like fashion, Ivy didn't know why but the silent reptile struck her as the most intelligent creature in their ranks, right after the ever so mysterious Anubis.

Cervantes narrowed his eyes his teeth gritting as he fought off the urge to attempt a strike at the Azure Nightmare's head "Think about your plot old man! I'd rather save the trouble by having the owner bring it to us. Manipulation has worked very well in our favor, I doubt the soul of a sloth merchant would be very difficult to control." Ivy cut him off as she walked up between them flashing a hand between their faces.

"And I think that the population of the city in question bears knowledge that you would both kill them all should they glance at you wrong. Now what exactly is going on." Nightmare looked back at Ivy, his armor still missing.

He shrugged "De Leon wishes us to head toward Istanbul. He claims to feel a shard coming from there. I feel it as well, but they are already in the possession of others. I'll feel better once we actually know where the others are and there is always the chance that it could be another idiot thinking that he can use it against me." he said full of earned arrogance.

There was a silence between all three of them "Having just set out we need to set an order when it comes to some of the newcomers. At this point either of us leaving is simply out of the question." Ivy smiled as she looked at Nightmare. One of the smaller ships was technically under her command as it was her property, the Darkthorne would take her and the needed amount of troops to retrieve the shard.

"I'll go." she stated as she stretched lightly "After all, Istanbul is a very nice city this time of year and hopefully I won't draw as much attention as you two would, even if I do have the scare an entire city into surrender." she said with a sultry smile.

"I'm not so sure about that, they probably wouldn't go running in fear of you." A cold voice came from behind

Ivy smiled egotistically as she looked back at Karenna who stood there "Don't broadcast your jealousy so much. It is really a disturbance." Karenna growled.

Nightmare sighed looking at the two "Enough. We really don't need this right now. Ivy you take the Darkthorne and go. Dig up whatever you can find and head back as time allows. We'll be waiting in the usual spot." he concluded.

"I'll tell my men to prepare themselves." Ivy announced and was about to walk off, but her father refused to simply be ignored.

"You're taking that child with you again, arn't you?" Cervantes said accusingly, as if suggesting treason.

"So what if I am?" Ivy questioned, a smirk crossing her face as she kept her back to her father.

"I don't trust him!" Cervantes snapped.

"And it is that which makes him far more useful than you." Ivy explained.

"Foolish child!" he growled before moving away.

"Rotton old man." she growled before walking off.

Not too much later Ivy descended from the Nemesis to the red and black painted Darkthorne which was followed by two other small ships. Nightmare's Navy consisted of about twenty or so ships. While the Nemesis served as the command ship, there were four flag ships, the Darkthorne, the Adrian, the Jade and the Backbone. There were also a number of smaller battle ships to protect the flag ships. Though all, but the Darkthorne had been left behind they had regrouped with four of the smaller ships which the lizardmen had managed to seize. Leaving them with the Nemesis, the Darkthorne and seven guard ships. All others were back at the island.

Nightmare watched as Ivy left and took a decent amount of the Uruk-Hai and the lower class demons that were expendable anyway with her. Anubis walked up and looked over the edge of the ship "I don't see why you place such trust in her." he stated.

Nightmare looked at the dark creature "The only reason her weapon possesses that power is because of me. Should she turn I could have her own weapon disobey her, and even strike her down. Though with the influence the soul swords have over her, I doubt such is a possibility." Anubis was silent and looked back.

Anubis closed his eyes as he felt the air around him "The winds will serve Ivy to Istanbul. Can't say much for ourselves."

Nightmare shook his head at this "Drop anchor. Hoist the sails. We'll continue tomorrow morning." he said walking away.

Cervantes growled as he looked at the master of Soul Edge "I really do hate him." he stated.

Diablos spoke "He feeds off of that. I suggest you not allow the emotion to get out so much if you wish to ever be his superior." Cervantes ignored him and just watched the Darkthorne leave in the distance.

"Stubborn child." he grunted before moving off to look for some of the more disobedient troops, so much as a batted eye would set him off today. None of the commanders tolerated them fighting amongst themselves and the Immortal Pirate used it as an excuse to gain more souls.

Next Chapter: A Swordsman's Melody

(Voice of Cassandra) Dreams are one of the strangest things that anybody can witness and mine are no exception as I see odd silhouettes dance before my vision. But there is something in the background that drives these horrible shadows and flickering flames away. Is that music? Where is it coming from? 


	9. The Swordsman's Melody

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing. 

Soul Calibur: Of Souls and Swords

Chapter Eight: The Swordman's Melody

Back onboard the Eternal Wind...everything was very quiet and tranquil the Mediterranean had been forgiving and allowed them to have clear and calm waters while anchored. All of the lower decks was also silent, all of the fighters rested peacefully in their sleep. Including the openly romantic couple that was Kilik and Xianghua, whom often held one another at night. The others pretty much knew this and thought nothing of it as long as they didn't lose control of themselves. The only one that wasn't sleeping soundly was Cassandra, she had given up trying to act so calm and collected like her older sister. She couldn't help that she was unlike her and often her sarcasm got her into fixes that could often spell trouble.

Dreams had turned into nightmares as she dreamed of what she might face if she allowed herself to be found and captured by the enemy during their search for the shards. She had heard of what happened to caravans that were captured or pillaged by the destructive Black Wind. Often it was to either turn over all treasures to them. Should they be wise and surrender at first sight they would only take the horses or any other goods they could find. If they dared to fight back all the men involved would be killed off, all the women that could serve well and were of average beauty were taken and all children till the age of eighteen would be released.

The remainer that were not considered men would be come slaves of different sorts. Cassandra found it horrible that there was rumors that the female commander actually had a young boy in the middle of his second decade that was manipulated to be a servant to her. And there were many other rumors surrounding that. Now that the Azure Nightmare had appearently returned she expected that the spirit of Soul Edge would simply order them to make a massacre and allow the blade to feed off their souls.

As she dreamed she saw several things. A high castle in the mountains where dark clouds gathered. A temple in Japan where only the skilled may step. The coliseum in Rome. Another tower that existed in the city of water. A grand city in France that burned in the fires of civil war. A nomadic village in the Asian fields. She saw Link standing up against what appeared to be a wall, however it seemed on the other side was his shadow. Nothing surprising, that is until it turned it's head slightly to reveal the crimson eyes that rivaled those on the Nightmare her sister spoke of. There were other visions including a young man in black that carried two swords of opposing elements. There was then a darkening blast of flame.

The Soul Edge appeared there, bathed in fire and darkness. Though she had never rested eyes on the sword, it couldn't have been anything else. Another flash was of bright blue light and showed what had to have been Xianghua's Soul Calibur stabbed between them. The soul sword glowed before shifting into a much larger blade that appeared to be a mouth of jagged closed teeth and one very angry eye. The spirit sword became longer and broader like a great sword with a large crystal orb suspended in the very center of the hilt. Another shift of the light showed a fissure between light and darkness, inside the fissure was a silhouette that could only be described as monstrous. A demon that she could never begin to describe looked up and unleashed a piercing roar before everything vanished.

Cassandra bolted upward from her bed breathing heavily to herself, her hand on her chest feeling her heart racing. All thoughts of her dream vanished in her head all she could remember was that darkness bathed silhouette and a low pitched laugh that filled her with terror. She slowly stood up and stepped out of her bed which was one of two bunks, she looked up at her sister who slept on the top bunk a smile on her lips. She turned over slowly in her sleep whispering her husband's name. Cassandra sighed as she looked at her sister, it must have been nice to have somebody to call her own.

Cassandra then heard it as she sat on the edge of her bed the sound of a wind instrument, but it didn't sound like any she had ever heard. It sounded much like a flute, but somehow the notes in the air carried and aura of sorts. Cassandra walked toward the door, she didn't have any need to do anything as she had gone to sleep above the covers and still wore her boots. She of course didn't take her weapons as she saw no point to be ready to fight, it was just music after all. But the question of who it could have been chewed at the back of her mind as she wondered.

The only person with any knowledge of a flute was Sophitia, and she was sound asleep dreaming away about her beloved husband and the children that might come to them one day. Musical talent passed both Kilik and Maxi as they had always been so obsessed with their training and journeys. Xianghua had displayed some skill for the harp, but that was about it. Maybe it was Talim, considering how big of a deal wind was to her and her people it would make sense wind instruments would be popular. It was unconfirmed as she passed by Talim's room, the door still opened slightly the dim candle light cast over her body under the covers. Cassandra wondered as she headed up to the deck.

The cool sea breeze swept over the deck softly as a thousand stars shown in the sky giving the ship light along with the quarter moon just in the horizon. The notes of the song continued to flow forth from somewhere, there was a sort of echo all around her and she couldn't pin point it. After resorting to scanning the area over, she spied the source of the music coming from across the deck. He sat there on the railing with his back against the area that rose up to the forward platform, one leg held out straight while the other went over the side where his foot touched down on the deck. The swordsman that had come to them sat there playing the music off of a sort of instrument that was raised to his face.

As both hands held the mysterious source of the beautiful music, his fingers played over the holes of the brilliant sapphire piece with professional accuracy. His eyes remained closed as he played out the soothing melody that seemed to whip Cassandra's soul clean of all doubt and anger. The song seemed to consist of three main notes two short, one long played three times over each time separated by two very short notes. After the third playing of the three notes it went into long soothing notes that bound together into the soothing melody. Cassandra leaned against the mast of the ship as she listened not wanting to disturb him from his practice.  
(OoT's title theme)

Cassandra closed her eyes at the song that seemed to be of peace yet at the same time it was to a small degree depressing. As she leaned in further her foot touched a board resulting in a disturbing creek which caused the music to fade into echoes as Link looked up to see her standing there watching him. Cassandra sighed as she expected to be asked to leave as in Athens the practice of such talent was not to be disturbed, her homeland took great pride in their arts. Link however looked at the musical piece and then to her "Did I disturb your sleep Cassandra? Do you wish me to stop?" Cassandra looked up a little surprised by this, he wasn't upset that she had disturbed him.

The young maiden stepped forward shaking her head as she did so "No. Just annoying dreams that aren't exactly pleasant." she said as she walked up to lean against the railings next to him. Link nodded his head recalling that so many of his travels had been started out by some sort of dream or premonition. At first he was prepared to ask, however he decided against it feeling that it probably was nothing, she was going out into obvious conflict and her underlying nerves had obviously gotten to her mind. He didn't need to pry.

"I don't have the best luck with dreams either." he said with a light smile. Cassandra smiled back for some reason happy to see that he was in good spirits, she had figured that he would be depressed by now. She had never heard such perfect music in her life, his skill was something to be recognized, she had never seen an instrument like the one he used but it seemed to carry on the wind with every note he played. She concluded that it was not normal flute.

Link turned placing both of his feet on the deck and leaning back still holding his instrument, Cassandra looked at it "I've seen many instruments in my time, but I've yet to ever hear anything like that or see anything like that. What is it exactly?" Link looked at the item that he considered one of his personal treasures.

Link smiled to her as he ran his hand over the finely glazed surface "Music is considered one of our greatest achievements in my country and entertainment centers much around it. The Ocarina has a reputation for being easy to learn and difficult to master." he said, an interest was deep in her eyes.

Cassandra nodded as he held it out to her, she took it looking it over admiring it "Where did you get it? Seems much care was used in making it." she stated as she looked at him as if to want to eye the information out of him.

Link shrugged as he decided that telling a little of his past wouldn't hurt "It was given to me the day I left to come here. A good number of people contributed to making it and I plan to take good care of it for as long as I can." he said shaking his head lightly at the fact he'd never see any of them again. Cassandra looked at him able to see his depression of the matter as she spied something engraved on the underside of it. A number of messages to him, though she lacked the knowledge to read them. Link looked at what she looked at and inwardly sighed as he read them in his mind.

May the winds of fortune further your journey and strengthen your soul. -Malon Your both my best friend and rival. Guess we're forever even now. Good luck. -Garen Destiny exists for everybody. Yours will find you soon enough. Please be careful. -Zelda

After Cassandra returned it Link carefully placed it back in a silkish case and replaced it in his tunic before he leaned back on the railing using his hands to support himself as he looked at the stars. Cassandra looked with him "So many of them. Makes you wonder doesn't it?" Link nodded incoherently "There might be other worlds out there, far greater than just the void of the sea or the endless plains. There is no way of telling what is beyond the clouds." she said.

Link found himself looking away "By all means, I've essentially lost my world." he confessed before turning away not wanting her to see his depression. She really couldn't blame him for how he was feeling, even if he might have been unconsciously venting on the group. Having to leave his friends and homeland all in the same day because of a problem that could almost be connected to them, if she were in his position she would be untrusting of everyone around her. She probably would have assaulted Sophitia the moment it became known that she had played a hand in the shattering of the first Soul Edge.

Cassandra looked down and placed her hand over his, he looked back at her questioningly as she did this. Cassandra spoke "I cannot understand exactly how you must feel, but know that your friends are with you. Both here and in your homeland. We don't forget about our own. We won't let you be left with nowhere to go." Link nodded as she said this and breathed. Cassandra brought up her hand to place it on his shoulder "You should get some sleep Link. You look terrible." Link smiled at this, you would think that seven years of it would be enough for a while.

Cassandra started to walk away when Link looked up "Cassandra. Thanks." he said with a nod of his head. Cassandra smiled back at him "No thanks needed Link. Your an ally and we trust you. See you in the morning." she said walking back through the door. Link turned back toward the railing to look at the stars wondering if he was seeing Hyrule without knowing it and they might be looking back at him. He tightened his fist as he thought of this knight in azure armor, an enemy that he had never known but somehow managed to loath "I will make you pay." he swore under his breath.

Next Chapter: Chase in the Night

(The Voice of Ivy) Half of my purpose with the Black Wind is finding perspective fighters to lead our forces as well as recovering shards of the Soul Edge. Most of the time great fighters are unable to resist the temptations of the sword and those that can are usually holy men or priests, those we cannot use. Arriving in Istanbul however I have come across one that has managed to both prove himself a high ranking fighter and resistance to the shards. Recruiting him might be possible if he is willing to name a price we can offer, though his company might not make that easy.


	10. Chase in the Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Nine: Chase in the Night

The rest of the night and rest of the day was as peaceful as Link's song. Most of them besides Maxi, Jack and Link had stayed below either sleeping or preparing their belongings for the possible time they may spend in the area. Maxi and Jack of course manned the ship as they got closer to land and occasionally pestered Link for information about the mysterious seas that he hailed from. He told them bits and pieces of information about some of the life that existed beneath the waves and the kinds of environments that could be seen on the ocean floor. It pained Maxi that his chances of ever seeing this place were about the same as Link's ability to return. Fate wasn't a very kind lady it seemed.

It was surprising how similar everything about sea travel was between the worlds as Link displayed some knowledge of the sails earlier in the morning. It was just approaching nightfall when the ports of Istanbul came into view, most of the White Wind were out on deck ready to help in any way they could getting the ship into port. The plan was simple. Once Maxi paid out the rent of the spot they would all get another good nights sleep then head out the next morning. Slowly the ship moved over next to the sturdy wood and stone docks that were familiar to Maxi by now. The sails had been hauled up and they let the collective force push them in.

Kilik stood on the starboard side while Cassandra took her place on the port side. Each of them had a rope shouldered and jumped as the dock came into range, they both touched down fine the ropes connected to the sides of the ship. They quickly moved securing them around the post of the dock which forced the Eternal Wind into a halt. Maxi clapped off his hands as the ship came to a halt "I never get tired of that." he stated as the entire boat sharply braked to a stop. Kilik and Cassandra climbed the ropes back onboard, Cassandra nowhere nearly as quick as Kilik, as Maxi lowered the ramp and moved to find the dock's manager. Sophitia and Xianghua headed inside to rest up as they had gotten up earlier than the others. Link, Talim, Cassandra and Kilik remained on the ships deck "An even wind blows tonight." Talim said. This signaled no threats.

All the while the White Wind was preparing themselves to get a good nights sleep and then set out the next morning, the Darkthorne had already landed a few miles down the coast in a secret cove that Cervantes once used during his past life. They had gathered information that a local traveling merchant and back-stabbing thief had possession of one of the shards. Ivy had been sent in with Uruk-hai and some of Renzor's soldiers, while several of the low class pretty much useless demons that were generated through humankind's own sin waited to attack.

While the lizardmen and Uruk-hai had headed out to the merchant's home just outside the city, Isabella Valentine had decided to go into town and relax seeing as how Renzor's underlings each had decent leadership skills they didn't need instruction, she had no worried anyway due to the fact that her servant was leading them. The sun had just gone down and she sat outside a cafe near the square of the town, much of the activity of Istanbul went down during the night and she had failed to find an inn or any place to accommodate her with the travelers of the late summer. Besides that the only people in this region who would give out kindness without money involved, usually would request sexual favors in exchange. Despite the way she acted she in no way took her sexual life casually, at least not when it came to such pathetic souls.

She leaned back lightly in her chair her half length cloak just covering the tops of her legs and the scantly leather that she was usually found clad in. Her sword the Valentine was in a sheath that she had placed on her belt, considering the control she had over the sword it could almost pull itself out when needed. But Ivy was bored out of her mind, normally on nights such as this she would find something to take up her time, though it usually involved challenging Renzor to sparring or spending the night with Nightmare. Renzor because of the fact that his fighting style originated from Athens where two members of White Wind were from, and Nightmare was much more approachable in his full human form.

Isabella reached up running her unarmored hand through her smooth platinum hair moving it from her vision slightly now kind of wishing she would have brought her young servant along. At least he made decent company at times like this while most every other human involved with the Black Wind was overly professional. There was also the fact that he served her from pain of defeat and not from a shard lodged in his body, it made him somewhat interesting. His mind was also intact for the most part, she could not say the same for Nightmare's own personal servant who had been sent to the East to search for shards, there was something wrong with that girl.

Ivy groaned as she leaned forward, she could either head back to the Darkthorne or just force her way into one of the Inns and do a few hostile negotiations on the manager. Neither seemed worth her time and she was too tired to pick up the trace of the shard that would eventually serve to strengthen the Soul Edge anyway. Her Valentine and her father would grow stronger as well. The old man obviously dreamed of regaining control of the blades or at least achieving equality with Nightmare, but it was obvious that even if he obtained all the shards and created another sword, it wouldn't make any difference.

Suddenly just as she had just about given up, a signal went off like a whip cracking inside her head. She stood up almost instantly "Is that it?" she wondered as she felt the energy as clear as the Soul Edge itself when she spoke with Nightmare. She sensed it out closing her eyes then she felt it, it was nearby in the city and so close she could literally feel it through her sword. Ivy narrowed her eyes as she jumped up and darted down the street drawing Valentine and swinging it hard over head. With mearly the desire the sword strikes out into a multi segmented whip and the indestructible wire wraps around a nearby out hanging over a window. At Ivy's command the sword retracts and she finds herself on the roof after a graceful landing.

Without another thought she runs along the two to three story roof tops of Istanbul heading towards the area the signal was coming from. Though she at this point really wasn't in the mood to fight for somebody in possession of the shards, it would have at least been nice to know who possessed it. Ivy held the Valentine up toward her shoulder, if she could get a clear shot at whoever possessed the shard she would take it. She jumped again dropping two stories and landing gracefully using her weapon as a bungie cord, she then looked up as she felt the signal was very close by.

She found herself near one of the main business districts of the city, several of the street lamps had their torches lit for the night otherwise the only light was the moon that was above. Movement! Ivy turned hard to her left looking as she saw a figure wearing several cloaks dash down the street running frantically as if being chased, he held one hand as his chest he must have been holding something. The fragment. Ivy smirked as she saw his frightened face, it matched the description of the merchant, back stabber and thief they were sent to retrieve the shard from. She held up her blade preparing to strike the man down when suddenly there was another voice "Get back here!" clearly it was male, sounded serious and very angry.

Ivy backed up into the shadows as another figure burst from the street and down the alley that the merchant had just gone down. Ivy couldn't make out his features very well but she could tell that he mostly wore black, rather expensive in this area but he didn't appear to be any kind of aristocrat. His hair had some length to it and was dark either brown or black, she couldn't tell from where she was but she could feel the energy from his soul through her blade. Her violet lips smirked "This should be entertaining." she said before she slowly walked after them only she took a detour up a stairway and walked across the rooftops as they both ran.

They ran for a good while before eventually the merchant came to be cornered near the pier and frantically began looking around for any way out he could find, unfortunately he had run himself into a corner and the only way out was through his pursuer. Trapped between two walls at an angle, straight ahead was the street that his pursuer slowly walked down and to his left was the sea and he couldn't swim. Ivy kneeled lightly from her place on a three story building not to far from them her cloak keeping her from being seen, she smiled as she watched wanting to see just what this young man was capable of wondering if he was worth enslaving.

He stepped forward and into the moonlight that was cast down onto the area, the merchant looked from side to side as he backed against the wall. Ivy looked down through her spyglass as the light caught the pursuer, she lightly licked her lips at the sight of him. He wore as she saw earlier mostly black. Thick material that would probably defend against travel through the wilderness. He wore dark pants that covered the tops of his boots and was held up by a belt, the buckle came to make out the shape of a seal Ivy couldn't make out. He wore a sleeveless vest which bore the seal on the left chest side in rich silver lining a dragon of sorts. He wore fingerless gloves and his body was clearly built from his travels. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the merchant a weapon of some sort was on the reverse of his belt.

Ivy collapsed her spy glass and moved once again across the small buildings until she was standing right above them, she moved across the roof toward the edge and looked able to see everything while being just out of sight, not like either of them would care about her. The man still holding whatever he had to his chest, suddenly made a break for the street running right past the eastern warrior, he growled as he swung his leg which snapped hard against the man's ankles sending him tumbling against the ground. Before he could run the boy smashed the sole of his boot into the merchant's back.

Ivy smiled at this as the boy showed no intention of letting him live unless he got what he wanted, another searcher perhaps. "Mercy. Ack! Please mercy." The merchant begged. The boy narrowed his eyes as he kneeled and grabbed the man by the hair hoisting him up and he spoke his voice cold and threatening "Give me back the fragment you stole from me. Or else." he said. His voice was similar to that Korean Ivy had run into four years ago, apparently he was some sort of a idol to his country and also sought Soul Edge. Though he was far too young to possibly be him. (Hwang)

The merchant grunted as he pulled his hand away from his chest which was dripping with blood "Alright. Alright. Just leave me be." he begged as he reached into his cloak removing a familiar piece of crimson alloy. His hand seemed to claw around it as its influence washed over him, the Korean held out his hand "Normally I'd kill anybody who drains two weeks out of my life, but I'll make an exception if you stop stalling." the shard dropped to the ground pinging as it made contact. The boy narrowed his eyes before he through the slowly transforming thief off to the side before his kneeled slowly toward the shard.

He reached out one hand holding it over the shard knowing that it would try to take advantage of him if he allowed his judgment to get to him again. He quickly picked it up dropping it into the covered portion of his palm and dropped it into the pocket on the inside of his vest. Ivy smiled as she noticed that the fragment gave off a much stronger signal now that it was in the possession of a much stronger soul. The Korean turned to leave down the alley when suddenly the thief jumped up and gave off an inhuman roar. The boy looked back as the merchant had already taken on transformation from a fragment. Ivy scoffed saying something along the lines of 'weak souled fool'.

He roared as his skin grew pale and he drew his own blade, a giant curved sword of some sorts "GIVE IT BACK! IT'S MINE!" he roared as he rushed him. The Korean warrior narrowed his eyes as he jumped back as the large scimitar was swung at him, he ducked as the man had obviously lost all depth perception. It cut into the wood and became stuck, the thief roared pulling it out. The boy growled showing his teeth as he placed his hand on his own weapon hidden lightly under his cape. The thief rushed him again with the large scimitar, he moved suddenly "Weakling." he said darkly before he swung his own blade out of it's sheath. On contact with the boy's blade the scimitar shattered being broken in half and clattering against the ground.

Ivy's icey eyes went wide as she saw this but she came back to normal as she looked at the sword. It looked like a normal Korean longsword from the hilt but its blade didn't curve it went straight and into point much like any double edged sword, the hilt itself was modified into the same style. While it carried to same balance as any Korean blade it also gave a stylish look compared to the other eastern swords she had seen in her time. It was stained black and seemed to carry a great deal of destructive power, a skull shape in the hilt seemed to confirm what the blade had been made to do.

Ivy chuckled "Interesting, he wields a blade of the darkness." She said as she observed how he held the blade. The energy she felt coming from the blade had obviously been placed upon it by demonic sources and was normally a weapon that was only used by otherworldly swordsmen as mortals couldn't normally contain the power. This young warrior was hardly effected by the power of the longsword, it only served to prove two points. His soul was exceedingly strong and that the demonic energy placed upon the sword carried no alignment, it was simply created to destroy. Valentine seemed to glow lightly as it sensed the presence of this new sword, she placed her hand on her weapon and continued to watch.

The young warrior narrowed his eyes before bringing it back and smashing the thief across the face with the dull side putting a small scratch across his face "Do not cross me again you cur." he said before he turned to walk again. The thief growled as he rushed as him once again, Ivy shook her head watching the pathetic mortal.

He jumped into the air before pouncing the warrior by the back smashing his face in the pier's wooden surface. "GIVE! GIVE!" he shouted as he turned him over and started to choke him, the warrior by now having had enough raised one hand and smashed his fist into the possessed soul's face sending him back off him.

He then raised the blade and looked onward at the creature as he rushed forward "Let me lead you to death." he said, the thief roared and jumped again at him, however it would be a mistake. The Korean warrior drove the unique sword straight through the creature's chest with a bone splitting sound. The monster roared as he was held upwards the blade penetrating out the back of his neck.

The thing that was a man had been completely possessed by his greed and he was dead because of it, but he received no sympathy. The boy narrowed his eyes before he swung as hard as he could throwing the body off the three foot blade with an angered grunt. The creature rolled along the edge of the pier then rolled into the water to sink into the murky abyss. The boy of his early to middle twenties lightly raised a hand to brush the blood from his lip, he felt the inside of his cheek and growled.

Suddenly there was a chuckle from behind in the alley way that caused him to increase the grip on his sword "You have to chase him all over the city. Let him attack you more than once and get hit by two of them." he looked back to where the female voice was coming from. Ivy did the same and narrowed her eyes remembering that face.

This girl who was also of eastern decent possessed long brown hair that went down her back in a pony tail. She wore a white and blue cloak around herself although when it was open one would catch a view of her long and very nice legs, though those that starred often got a closer look at her feet. An orange head band was around her forehead keeping the hair out of her gorgeous eyes. She wore patted gloves showing that she was a warrior as if it couldn't be told by the pole mounted blade she carried. Ivy remembered her fight with this brat, and how she had the nerve to vow to defeat Ivy at some point "Seung Mina." she said annoyed.

The young woman known as Seung Mina giggled as she pointed out the faults in the young man's fighting and chase though it was clear he was her age if not older "Your getting a little sloppy Kyle." she pointed out as he sheathed his sword.

He softly huffed "I tried to go easy on him. He's had enough of his soul eaten away, guess it doesn't matter now does it." he said. Kyle straightened his cloak a little over his shoulders and looked at her "Did you find out where the other shard is? Who he sold it to?" he asked.

Mina crossed her arms over her chest "Your lucky I did. Otherwise you would have just made a huge mistake." Kyle nodded. Seung Mina balanced the bladed staff on her shoulder and looked up the road "It was apparently sold to one of the aristocrats around here. I believe that our contact said it was the Don." Kyle looked up the road knowing that was where his mansion would be located. The Don wasn't exactly the most liked man in Istanbul, but obviously feared as he was connected to much thievery and you didn't cross him without taking a dip similar to the merchants.

Kyle shook his head at the news as he looked at the moon estimating the time "We won't be able to do anything about it tonight. Send the other two to make negotiations tomorrow, see what price he is willing to take for it. I'm not in the mood right now." Mina smiled as she walked next to him, they vanished down the street.

Isabella Valentine closed her spyglass in disgust as she watched Mina drag this gifted fighter revealed as Kyle away, somebody such as himself shouldn't need to be lead around like a dog on a leash. At least not by her. Ivy pushed her contempt of the younger woman aside shaking her head "To hell with it. Just because they have one doesn't mean I can't take it later." she said as she dropped off the roof and started back down the coast heading for the cove where the Darkthorne had been docked. The mansion ironically had its front facing the sea just down the street, it was an easy target for cannon fire, and it seemed those two were going to wait a little while this would give her time to plan a strike. 

Next Chapter: Of Reunions And Rivalries

(Voice of Talim) The cities of the west are a great deal more imposing that anybody could have warned me they would have been, but I trust that Link will be able to keep us from getting lost. It is still almost hard to believe that these simple pieces of metal are worth all this effort, but our search eventually leads us to it. Unfortunately we have competition this time around and I am not sure how I feel about having to put up with him again. 


	11. Of Reunions And Rivalries

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Ten: Of Reunions And Rivalries

Needless to say the next morning there was alot of controversy of the blood that seemed to be drifting from under the pier, but it was nothing that the members of the White Wind had to get concerned over. It was getting late in the morning when Link came walking out from the lower decks unarmed as he didn't plan on leaving the ship, it wasn't like he knew much about supplies and such. Sure he knew alot about sea travel, but there was likely going to be some differences. Everybody else however seemed to be involved in one way or another except for Talim who was still sleeping, or she could have been meditating, the Hylian couldn't tell through closed doors.

Kilik and Maxi stood on the docks speaking with a man with a very tanned skin tone obviously the guy who was selling them their needs. Cassandra sat on the platform at the front of the ship gazing at her Alpha Sword and adjusting her hair in the reflection of the blade. Turning Link saw Sophitia standing near the rear of the ship, Xianghua stood behind her braiding up her hair to keep it out of her way. Jack spoke up toward Link "If your up for sight seeing might as well do it from here. We need to leave as soon as possible." he stated. Link shrugged he really didn't care about what the city had to offer and he couldn't think of anything he needed.

Link's attention was snatched by the sound of running from the stairs that lead to the lower decks and Talim came out breathing heavily still in her night piece which was basically a really long shirt. She breathed as she spoke up "Everyone! Come quick!" she shouted.

Link jumped up and dashed over along with Xianghua and the two Athenian sisters "What's with all the screaming?" Jack asked lightly rubbing his ear.

Talim ignored him as she looked to Xianghua "Can't you guys feel that?" she asked them, all of them looked up and shook their heads. Talim closed her eyes and felt "I can feel it. It is very faint but I sense a shard nearby. However it is weak like the those three that Link brought with him." she pointed out.

Sophitia closed her eyes as she spoke "A shard from the first sword. Hm. I wouldn't be surprised." Cassandra nodded her head as she noticed the faint presence that matched those of the Soul Blade shards though it wasn't nearly as heavy in her head as her sister.

Kilik quickly ran up the gangplank followed by Maxi "Whats going on?" Maxi asked as he appeared.

Link looked back at them "Talim and Sophitia think that one of the shards is in this area. Funny that I didn't pick it up." he said a little surprised that he didn't.

Kilik crossed his arms as he spoke looking toward the city "The shards of the first sword are different and only seem to emit decent aura when they are grasped, otherwise they are dormant. They are not constantly emitting evil energy as the Soul Edge ones are. Thus they give a much weaker signal. That is what we've been told anyway." Sophitia nodded as she adjusted her sword on her hip.

Link looked lightly towards the group before he looked back at the warrior woman "Some of the priests at the temple told me that you apparently shattered the first sword, but they are still one and the same."

She took a breath before she continued "When it was shattered, a good amount of the power went to the other Soul Edge. The rest of it was defused as the phenominon called the Evil Seed and has left the shards of the first sword only with the ability to influence. It cannot grant great power or longevity, it simply drives those that allow a connection to be established insane." she described hauntingly.

Link narrowed his eyes as he looked back at the group "Regardless of the power however, it will need every piece back to once again achieve the ability to contain the its full power." he guessed. This was confirmed with a nod from Sophitia. He truly as worthy of the respect and recognition that his homeland have gavin him.

"Wether or not the Black Wind truly is preparing to return, it is still important that we retrieve the shards and find a way to completely destroy them this time. They are all a threat no matter how much power they have." Kilik announced. Link and Talim both nodded in understanding.

Maxi looked up as he picked up his nunchakus and placed them in his belt "I'll go with Xianghua and Kilik. We'll go to the shopping district, on a trip to the north we found one of them in a market where somebody had hawked it."

Cassandra looked at Link as he spoke up "Me and Talim will search the coast line. You never know maybe one washed up." Cassandra was prepared to say something, but shook it off assuring herself that he could take care of himself. Being sensitive to the aura it would be easier for him and Talim to track it should it be on such an expansive place.

Sophitia nodded as she looked at the rest of the group "Yes. The signal is weak. They usually give off a stronger signal when being held by somebody. We would have picked that up miles away otherwise." Sophitia's face from her normal nature to a serious one that belonged to anybody with great experience.

"Cassandra. You and Jack go through the residential area perhaps you'll find something there. I'll go with you." Jack nodded as this was said. Cassandra nodded a little disappointed, it was doubtful somebody would just leave it in their house. That and she didn't need Link and Talim, their youngest member having never come this far getting lost in a place like this.

Cassandra looked back at Link as he looked over the edge of the ship with his eyes closed as he pulled the bracers onto his hands and wrist. Talim reappeared carrying her elbow blades she hung them on her waist as she walked up to Link "What's wrong?" she asked him.

Link shook his head as he looked back at Sophitia "Where are the shards in our possession?" he asked. Sophitia could see Link's raw concern and looked to Xianghua, she took the tip and stood up to explain a few things.

"After you explained that Talim had felt them out, we placed them in a box that was given to us from the Shrine of Hephaestus. It is made of a very solid metal. It will repel the fragments and they will not be able to be sensed unless somebody is very close to it." Xianghua said as if she had done it a few times already.

Kilik looked up as he gave the Kali-Yuga a practice swing "How close?" he asked rather harshly. Sophitia shrugged as she looked up at him obviously he figured it was important they didn't need Nightmare tracking them down.

Sophitia mentally calculated "Right in the room. And for safe measures, it is hidden away."

Xianghua nodded as she adjusted her thin bladed sword on her hip "Well thats a relief at any rate. Maxi, come on." she called back and the trio left the Eternal Wind heading out toward the square. It seemed like familiar times as Maxi would talk of what he did remember while Xianghua cheerfully laughed trying to get their ever so silent Kilik to lighten up.

Link returned down to the lower decks and retrieved his shield, his cloak, bow and the sword that Rothion had made for him. The only difference of course was the fact that it lacked the mysterious powers, the colors of the blade and hilt matched the Alpha and Omega sword and the blade wasn't indestructible, but still very durable. He left the sheathed Master Sword in his room and had hidden it under the floor boards in the event an unexpected guest boarded. Though with Michael and Stephan standing guard it was doubtful anybody would try anything. Link looked back and started walking "Come on Talim. Lets go." he said heading down the plank.

Suddenly Cassandra rushed up grabbing him by the shoulder "Get back here! Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked pointing up at his ears.

Link rolled his eyes as he brought the hood over his head and he chuckled "I trust you all with the existence of my country, but spreading that knowledge might be dangerous. From here on out when it come to those who ask, I was just another victim of the Evil Seed." he explained. Cassandra chuckled at the deception and nodded.

Sophitia sighed as Link said this "The changes are always either mental or physical. And trust me if it is physical the changes are much greater." Link didn't know what she ment, but nodded as Cassandra reached up straightening the hood to stay on while not making him look like he was trying to hide his face. Link smiled at her, she turned her head lightly "Watch yourself." she said.

Link nodded in assurance before he turned adjusting the sword on his back and walked down the plank after Talim, he looked back once his feet were place on the docks and waved to the remaining three. Cassandra lightly waved back as she left to get her equipment, Sophitia looked at this as her younger sister walked away. She chuckled lightly seeing that obviously Cassandra at least respected Link, it couldn't be told but if she didn't know any better she would think that she liked him. Sophitia giggled at the thought, but it was pretty clear that relationships took alot of time with Cassandra. Link had made record time it gaining Cassandra's recognition.

Link and Talim walked for what seemed like hours around the shorelines finding no shards or even picking up the presence of one, it was pretty much a wild goose chase. The elven swordsman looked back towards the docks with seriousness in his eyes feeling that this was a waste of time. However, looking back at the young, pure hearted Talim kind of reminded him of a few people he knew back in his homeland. He couldn't help but smile as she saw walked carefully along the coast behind him picking up the sea shells she came across here and there placing a few of them in her pockets. It was very touching.

Link looked out over the sea and sighed to himself softly. Talim giggled seeing this "How long has it been since you've walked on the beach Link?" she asked him. Link wished blessings to the sages for this spell that allowed him to use these languages and understand otherwise he would have gotten absolutely nowhere. Link looked back and sighed lightly, he hated talking about this past especially after all that had happened, he was glad he kept his story fragmented. He lacked the power that got him through the age of Gannondorf that had been blessed upon him by the sages at that time. Should he tell all that he had been through they probably would never believe any mortal could get through it alive.

Not that he would have blamed them. The odds against him were insane, had his friends not been along side him and had it not been for the potential provided by the sages giving him their strength, he would have never made it. "Link!" Talim's voice snapped him back into reality. Link looked at her and nodded as he remembered the coasts of Hyrule normally rocky and full of obstacles, these coast were lined beautifully with sand.

"About four years. Never really appreciated it." he said.

Talim smiled as she patted him on the shoulder "Well just wait till we're out on the ocean." Link shrugged as he looked back toward the docks.

"Can't wait." he sigh walking back towards the streets.

Link adjusted his hood before he continued traveling up the street back towards the docks when suddenly Talim stopped as she felt the dark presence buzz through her head. Link looked back to see Talim starring at a rather large house surrounded by a metal fence, it was at least three stories tall and it seemed the roof was accessible from the house.

It looked different from the other buildings around here, almost French or at least Talim assumed. "What's wrong?" Link asked walking closer. That is right before he felt the presence as well, he couldn't believe that they hadn't noticed it sooner. After all it was just a walk up the street from the docks and the Eternal Wind.

Talim closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow through the streets before she looked at Link her eyes narrowed with urgency "The fragment is inside." she said distinctly.

Link looked at the gate and then to her "Should we try to talk it out?" he asked as he pulled the gate open and walked toward the two large oak doors.

Talim looked forward as suddenly two men ran up to them "Uh oh." she muttered as they rushed forward each of them carrying rapiers, fencing weapons.

One held up his hand "Hold it. What business do you have here? The Don is a very busy man."

Link raised an eyebrow "Who?" he asked.

The man looked at him oddly wondering how either new or absent minded this cloaked stranger must have been. The other leaned over "Foreigner. Seeing the damn sights." he said to his partner wanting to avoid embarrassment. Link mentally huffed, they truly had absolutely no idea.

The guard turned back to them "The Don is a very busy man who came a few years ago and established trade here in Istanbul. He is the center of trade for many businesses as well. You have a business proposition for him or something?" Talim was about to answer no when Link spoke up.

"Yes. We'd like to see him if that is okay." the guards stepped to them holding out their hands.

"First thing is first. Turn over your weapon." one of them ordered.

Link was hesitant in turning over his sword but did so anyway though he was allowed to keep his shield which he could use as an effective weapon if need be. They apparently hadn't noticed the elbow blades hanging on Talim's belt, they didn't appear to be conventional weapons to their eyes. Because of this they were probably dismissed as tools or something of the like, perhaps they never gave any concern toward them.

They were then lead into the house, it was most definitely of a European style and it was pretty obvious that this guy didn't trust many types of people, most of them were of French or English decent. The main hall was large and possessed tall ceilings, a second floor walkway that was lead up to by a set of stairs about thirty feet in front of them. On either sides of the stairway which rested directly in front of them were doors that obviously lead somewhere.

At the top of the stairs was a pair of double doors and then walkways that moved to curve around on the walkway going back for a square pattern, obviously these doors lead to the study. The guards spoke of him "The Don is also a highly respected business man of Istanbul. He supplies what is needed to anybody at a lower price than the officials." Talim didn't believe it for a second.

She looked toward Link and got close "If he is the Don I've heard about we need to keep on our toes, I think he might be connected to the local underground trade." Link nodded as he eyed his sword on the guard's back as he pushed open the doors which lead into what appeared to be a rest room. He knew what Talim meant, he bought from and supplied shelter for thieves.

There were books on the shelves and a few plush pieces of furniture to relax in, there was another door directly across from them obviously that was the Don's office or meeting room. Whatever he wished it to be called, it was where they would meet with him either way. Link's wandering eyes eventually came to the other two figures that occupied the room obviously they were some of the Don's company. Neither of them seemed to have the same look of withdrawn hostility that the guards did and they each lacked weapons but that was pretty given as they were obviously not known by these people. The two guards from the outside walked through the door to the next room.

Talim decided to check these two out and looked up. One of them seemed to be of the same decent as those two guards, from a country in the North called France apparently. He wasn't really old nor young he was at the beginning of his middle years around the age of thirty-two or so, give or take a few. He possessed long blond hair a little darker than Link's, was blessed with piercing blue eyes and looked like a man of importance. He wore the kind of cloths one would expect of a man in the art of fencing, she knew of the style as a French traveler had once visited the village. He wore clothing of dark blue and deep red which included gloves, boots, a jacket over a long sleeved shirt and a sheath on his right hip though it lacked a blade obviously taken by the guards.

The Frenchman looked up at them nodding politely "Greetings. What business have you here?" he asked alot nicer than the guards outside had. Before Talim could explain Link noticed that the other one had gotten up.

"The same reason we are obviously." a much more youthful and rude voice said suddenly. Talim looked and glared at the other. Link looked him over. He possessed unnaturally red hair that even rivaled the crimson on the Frenchman's clothing, his eyes were a matching light brown. He wore clothing much like Talim's style only from the North of her home where he met her. It consisted of white and orange and mixing in of black. A sleeveless vest that showed off his collar bone and abdomen as well, he was younger than Link himself but obviously well crafted into a warrior from great amounts of training.

Talim looked at this younger man annoyed as her hands made fist "What may I ask are you doing here Yunsung?" she said spitefully it was pretty obvious they knew one another and it wasn't off good terms.

The brash teenager brought his arms to cross over his chest "I could easily ask you the same question Talim!" he shouted at her as the Frenchman stood "Though I already know the answer." he followed up with.

Talim sighed as she shook her head "Why can't you have any common sense and just go home?" she asked him almost painfully as if she didn't want him here. Link couldn't put it together, would they have to fight their way through them.

The Frenchman suddenly came up to Link leaning lightly against the bookshelf as he spoke "Do you know what their problem is?" he asked Link in his northern accent. Link shook his head admitting that he had never seen this Yunsung before.

"Not a clue, but I'm just going to stay out of it." Link murmured.

The man agreed before nodding his head to his fellow swordsman, he extended his hand then "Raphael Sorel." he said pretty sure that his name hadn't reached this far and even if it had the bounty was ineffective outside France's boarders.

The younger warrior shook his hand "Call me Link." he said feeling that man realized that in this world there were those that did not feel the need to possess last names.

Looking back Yunsung and Talim each turned on their heels back to back looking away from one another, obviously they had known one another before and obviously had their differences. Link however managed to put the simple math together, they were also after the fragment. Though it didn't seem that intended to fight over it.

Suddenly the door opened and a guard stood there holding a second Rapier in his hand, red and silver on the hilt and hand guard it was obviously Raphael's as the design seemed to match the sheath. "The Don will see you now." the Korean stepped away from Talim and through the door Raphael followed. Link adjusted his hood and followed them before being stopped by Talim.

Link looked down lightly at Talim as she looked up at him "Link listen to me. Yunsung and his partner seek the shards and sword for a negative purpose. I believe both of them want it for its power. As long as we are in this situation don't turn your back on anyone." Link nodded as he moved through the doorway.

They found themselves in a library. The door lead outward and it made a semi circle shape with the shelves, the middle of the curve being the doorway they stepped through. In front of them was a desk and another wall. On either side of the wall were doors that lead out onto the large balcony that could be used for parties and such. The walls behind the desk were also decorated with animal heads that had been brought back from the western lands.

The Don looked up from his place at the large desk at them, he seemed like a pretty average man in his middle thirties. He possessed blond hair that was neatly cut short, his flesh was only slightly tanned at he didn't get much exposure to the sun and his eyes were a dark shade. He was also dressed in a red formal outfit. He was apparently known as Don Charlot DeVal and from what could be seen he was obviously brought up to be in this kind of business. Though in most upbringings it didn't account for so many actions being less legal and moral than others.

The Don gracefully moved the pen feather back to the ink well placing it down before looking up at his guests "Odd. None of you are anybody I've seen before. Do you seek to establish a sort of business and need help setting up or do you wish to make trade connections."

Yunsung spoke up swiftly before Talim or Link could "We'd like to conduct a personal trade with you. We are willing to pay any price you name for an item that has come into your possession." he announced.

Talim stepped forward getting attention on her "And we are willing to beat that price." she retorted. Yunsung turned a leer at her, she just smiled smugly before looking back at the Don, Link however had figured on a few things and was formulating a plan to get his weapon back, the guards that stood at the door were on their ready. It was like they were hostile.

The Don looked at them as a look of interest came over his face he leaned back in his chair ever so much and looked at them "Interesting, but you must know that I charge more than just money for my personal possessions. Some people get lonely in this business, get my drift?" he asked. Talim was taken aback by this, she had figured this would be simple, Link only fumed at this hating people like him.

Yunsung meanwhile looked at Raphael as the Frenchman spoke "Unless Mina is up to this there is no way we're getting it." by his tone he obviously wasn't being true.

Yunsung looked back at Raphael "Don't be stupid. We both know if we even tried that, Kyle would kill both of us."

Raphael shrugged at the younger swordsman's words "I wasn't being stupid I was being sarcastic." he stated under his breath as he looked back toward the Don.

Link spoke up breaking the awkward silence in the room "I don't know about that as of now, but we are searching for a piece of metal roughly the size of a person's palm. It glows red and we have reason to believe you recently acquired it." the silence became dense once again as the Don looked at the cloaked stranger. The Don's hand idly went into his pocket concealed by the desk, Link and Talim could both feel the shards foul energy as his fingers brushed against the contents of his pocket. This man, Raphael showed signs that he felt it as well.

Yunsung looked at him and Talim and realized what they felt, he was almost prepared to make an offer when something happened that they didn't count on. The Don jumped up from his chair looking at his bodyguards, all four of them drew out their swords and held them up surrounding the four visitors. "What the hell is this!" Yunsung shouted.

DeVal spoke as he breathed heavily the fragment slowly beginning to corrupt his mind "Don't think you can fool me!" he said his voice haggard as he picked up his own rapier from behind the desk easily a better sword than any of the others, save the one Raphael had seized from him.

Talim looked at the man "You don't understand. That shard and the source of it are both evil. They will destroy your mind if you don't deny it. Please for your own good." the Don laughed as he walked past them toward the doorway. Talim pouted before she dropped her hands behind her back slowly ready to fight.

"I will present this to France as a gift. A powerful weapon that will end that pathetic peasant revolt that is taking up so much time." the Don laughed.

Raphael narrowed his eyes at the man as he looked toward his own rapier in one of the guard's hands "Your blood will be spilled today DeVal."

"We'll see. Men, get rid of them." The Don ordered. All four of them tensed up.

Meanwhile outside the mansion Ivy stood there on the dock as a figure about half a foot shorter than herself walked up, his face could not be seen but he was clearly young. He couldn't have been anymore than sixteen from his voice. He spoke up from behind her "We are ready for your orders Mistress." he said referring to her as such due to the fact that he was by law of defeat and of his own code her slave.

Ivy looked back toward him "Too many already seek that shard. If we cannot do this through negotiation, we'll have to do this through aggression. Report back to the Darkthorne and order that the two other ships be brought into the harbor. I want them ready to attack."

The young figure nodded bringing his hands to his sides before bowing softly a few strands of amber gold hair slipping from under the hood "As you command." he said walking back down the cove slowly the wind blowing the cloak around his back.

Ivy smiled to herself as she remembered besting him in battle back near the Silk Road and how he had been serving her since then "If only all my troops were as loyal and competent as that boy." she said as he vanished down the cove. Ivy closed her spyglass as she made her way onto another roof and sat in wait for the Black Wind's assault.

Next Chapter: The Battle of Istanbul

(Voice of Raphael) Once again Lady Luck has taken the side of another man and left me in the wake of her betrayal. Istanbul has seen many battles fought in the streets, however I believe that this might put a few events of the past to shame. Still DeVal can only possess so much and I seriously doubt that he would be raining fire down on his own mansion. The Black Wind, now things are getting interesting. They saved us the trouble of hunting them down like dogs. 


	12. Battle of Istanbul

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.  
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Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Eleven: The Battle of Istanbul

Talim backed slowly into Link while the angered Raphael and the energetic Yunsung joined them feeling the tension as the bodyguards approached them. Talim's hands slowly dropped behind her back and under her cloak to grip the twin elbow blades which had drawn blood more than once before. Raphael kept a clear eye on his sword that one of the bodyguards dared to threaten him with, his left foot nudged Yunsung who nudged him back to confirm it.

Link noticed this out the corner of his eyes and knew they were plotting, and couldn't predict what they planned to do. He just hoped that in the confusion he would be able to get his sword back, then take the fragment before it drove this man to insanity. Of course, all things considered there wasn't much more damage that the shard could possibly do beyond its initial possession.

The Don rasped as he held the shard in one hand and his Rapier in the other "You should have known better than to come here Sorel." Raphael narrowed his eyes at the Don popping the ligaments in his hands upon tightening his fist. The Don laughed almost insanely "Yes I know who you are. Though your bounty may only exist in France we only wish for your death. You're a failure to both your country and your class." Link looked toward Raphael as he gave a look that showed he couldn't care less.

Yunsung spoke up suddenly "There is one thing that you don't understand, dumbass."

DeVal crossed his arms "Oh and what is that?" he asked. The bodyguards chuckled as their master taunted.

Raphael then made his moved dashing to the guard holding his sword, his right hand clamped over the man's wrist and he spun his side lightly grazing the flat edge of the sword before sending his left elbow into the man's face. Yunsung took advantage of one guard's distraction and rushed him jumping into the air smashing his foot into the man's shoulder a snapping sound could be heard. Yunsung moved downward as the man fell and retrieved his gold hilted blade, the White Storm "Quality always prevails over quanity." Yunsung then rushed him "Now give me that stupid fragment!"

Talim moved her elbow blades swinging hard in a crossover style before snapping one of the normal fencing blades in half sending it to the floor. Talim then jumped forward sending the blunt end of the elbow blade into the man's face breaking his nose. Link moved forward, rolling hard on the ground as the last bodyguard made a stab at him just missing by a few inches as Link then moved to the side. Link came up grabbing the man by the arm and then twisting hard to slam him into the floor. There was the sliding of metal against metal before the blade of Rothion's sword cut into the rapier bending it to the side. Link then swung his foot into the man's head knocking him out in one clean movement.

Yunsung rushed toward the Don furiously swinging the much more broad blade at him only to have it blocked by the reinforced rapier he carried. The Don laughed as he moved and tried to stab Yunsung who quickly moved and swung at his head. The Don dodged and moved hard kicking the Korean youth in the side hard sending him off balance. Yunsung landed on his feet as the blow was more of a push than a kick. DeVal then took off running "Kill them!" he shouted.

Yunsung jumped up "Eh. Cowardly bastard." he growled.

Link looked toward Yunsung "He's possessed by a shard of Soul Edge. It maxes out any fighting techniques he knows and might have given him others, the longer he holds it the more dangerous he becomes." Yunsung paid no attention to Link as he rushed out. They left the bodyguards on the floor in pain.

Link and Talim dashed out of the room looking around right after Yunsung who stood on the balcony "Where did that fool get off to?" he asked to himself as he scanned the hall. DeVal stood on the other side holding up the fragment in his clinched hand the red glow coming between his fingers.

Several more men came into the room carrying either swords of make shift weapons, Yunsung growled "Don't you dare tell me every last employee of this guy is willing to die for him." he flipped his blade in his hand.

The insane Frenchman pointed at them "Dead! I want them dead!" he shouted. Yunsung was about to run when somebody stepped past him.

The young master of the Sorel family, Raphael looked back at the others holding his precious rapier Flambert pointed toward the ground "This fool is mine. I don't know who you two are but I suggest you try to keep yourselves alive. Perhaps we can make some sort of agreement later over that silly hunk of tin." Link nodded.

He and Talim had no knowledge of the fencing style and Yunsung was unfamiliar as well, it was best they allow this man to take care of it. The bodyguards rushed toward them with their weapons as Raphael moved away, Link drew his sword and looked toward Talim and Yunsung "Stay close." he said. They both nodded. Link reached back under his hood tucking his ears into the cap he normally wore as he prepared himself.

Meanwhile, back at the docks the trio of Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi returned to the Eternal Wind having found absolutely nothing. The once cursed young man stepped back up onto the deck of the ship and sighed as he realized nobody else had returned. Stephan was at the back of the ship looking at the other ships coming into and leaving the dock through his telescope, his weapon of choice, a standard Indian long sword, hanging in it's sheath. Michael was checking over the ropes that secured the ship in place, his weapon of choice an eight foot pole spear was held in his hand as well for safety's sake. Xianghua followed Kilik resting against the railing next to him, Maxi meanwhile stepped up to Stephan who seemed to be looking at something.

Maxi stepped up casually not wanting to spook him "What do you see?" Stephan looked back at their apparent captain as he continued to try to get focus on something coming from around the bay, suddenly there was a look of shock on his face.

He looked to Maxi "Whatever it is it isn't good." he whispered Maxi took the telescope away with a swift hand and focused in on a ship that had been painted black to match the stormy gray sails. It was one of the more simple military ships, outfitted with only a few cannons on the starboard and port side and one would expect it to be a private ship that was outfitted against pirates. He then spotted it standing on the deck, one of the grotesquely ugly Uruk-hai that had once been created by Nightmare and the temptress called Ivy, as well as the lower class Lizardmen he had encountered while hunting Astaroth.

Maxi closed the telescope as he noticed them heading toward the harbor "Damn it all." he cursed as he jumped down tossing the telescope back to Stephan "Michael! Kilik! Cut the damn rope! We're pulling out!"

Kilik looked up "Whats going on!" he shouted. Maxi pointed toward the cove as another ship came into view.

"Remember those lizardmen that were in league with Nightmare a few years back? Well there is a whole ship of them and they are heading this way!" he shouted. Michael moved down the side of the ship, swiping his razor tipped spear which cut through the thick rope dropping it, Xianghua moved doing the same to the other side. Maxi already had his plan, the Eternal Wind was armed with a ramming spike under the water line, they would ram one of them and take the other head on. They had to give the others more time to find the shard.

It didn't take too long for both of the ships to get ready, then Maxi noticed it as they drew closer as he checked through the telescope once again "More of them!" he snarled as he noticed one seemed to be entering the harbor while the other one hung back behind it. That one was strictly for transporting soldiers and the one taking point was armed with a number of cannons.

Maxi looked onward as he took hold of the wheel hoping they would be able to slip past easily enough, the wind was hitting them from the direction they were traveling so they had to count on the brothers and Juan to get them out far enough. "Everybody get ready!" he shouted as the Eternal Wind left dock Kilik and Xianghua stood ready on deck to fight.

Back in the streets of Istanbul the two Athenian sisters and Jack walked still not sensing the fragment. Cassandra eventually stopped resting against a nearby wall "I really think that Talim must have made a mistake." she said. Sophitia however seemed to be looking onward feeling that something wasn't right.

Suddenly she heard it just down the road, the explosion of gunpowder from a good distance away right before a cannonball smashed into a nearby home erupting with an explosion. "WHOA!" Jack shouted in shock as he jumped back. Sophitia narrowed her eyes as she drew her sword and shield hoping that it was just some very foolish pirates or a mistake by the Navy.

Cassandra looked up doing the same as her sister "It cannot be." she said.

Sophitia shook her head as she gripped her weapons "Now is when we confirm everything we think we might know. Back to the ship at once!" she ordered and the three of them ran down the road.

Getting back to the harbor it was pure pandemonium as the two ships from the Black Wind came swiftly toward the middle of the harbor. One came to a halt dropping its sails before its several cannons went off sending the explosive filled cannonballs into the streets, each one going off with great destructive force. The other one proceeded toward the harbor as if to dock it was an invasion Sophitia could already see the monsters on board.

Sophitia looked to Cassandra as it was clear that their ship had left already, Sophitia however had faith in whatever Maxi planned. Jack checked his rifle and looked toward the women "This isn't good. Hopefully the Defenders will arrive in time." Sophitia looked toward Jack as he said this, obviously he was well informed.

The group called the Defenders were essentially created of several different brigades of knights and warriors that protected their towns and had been active in the search for the Soul Edge. This alliance was founded by the Defenders of Venice and had gained many groups that would cooperate in maintaining peace in these warring times. Turkey possessed a unit that she knew was rather formidable and they were stationed near Istanbul. However, now that the Black Wind was making their official comeback statement, it concerned her as to if the Defenders would be seeking to claim it once again. Their intentions had never been known.

Sophitia watched as the ship didn't even bother to slow and came to a forced stop at the docks with their ramps dropping. The monsters began to step off each one wielding either a sword, spear or ax, but none of them very efficiently made weapons. She quickly realized that there was no other choice but the fight until the local militia arrived "Cassandra. Jack. They are going to do as much killing as they must to find what they are looking for. We have to stall them." she insisted.

Jack looked at her as the cannonballs flew over their heads a few of them smashing into the large mansion that could be seen from the harbor "It wouldn't take much effort to take us out if they saw us. With all due respect going out there is suicide." Sophitia growled as she watched this as they seemed to be marching down the empty street toward the mansion not even seeing them.

Suddenly it happened as they heard the sound of the cannons being mixed with splintering wood, they all looked out and saw that the Eternal Wind had rammed itself into the ship that had been firing upon the city. As the ramming spike under the waterline made contact with the ship it must have struck their hold as the ship seemed to be rocked with explosions. The raw force of the explosions forced the spike back out and set the Eternal Wind drifting slightly, one could almost picture Maxi's cook wondering what was going on.

Kilik and Xianghua both breathed in relief as they saw the other ship had started to rapidly sink into the bay pulling all of the creatures onboard with it. Save for the remaining lizardmen who started swimming for shore. Maxi pulled tight on the wheel as the wind caught their sails again "Hold on! We're not out of the woods yet!" he shouted as they headed past their sunken enemy, the remaining cannons were only able to shoot skyward. Kilik and Xianghua of course had to work to keep a few of their swimming foes from boarding the Eternal Wind while Maxi kept a straight course with the dock across from the ship, he suspected the spike might have been blown off and didn't want to get swarmed.

Sophitia looked from their place in the alleyway as the twenty to thirty monsters looked back at this, the small minded and expendable abominations squeaked and whispered to one another. The ever serious and dangerous Uruk-hai grunted as they continued toward their target without question. The highly trained Lizardmen roared for their swimming comrades to join them. Jack looked toward Sophitia who motioned toward the two story level of the roof, Maxi had bragged about his shooting ability and it pleased her enough to trust him. A certain someone meanwhile watched with amusement from her place on a building adjacent to the mansion.

They started moving again when Sophitia and Cassandra stepped out of the alley way each of them holding their weapons. The creatures all came to a stop as they saw them each of them threatening them with their blades, Ivy looked up and took her spy glass the lens focusing on Sophitia. Counting off her appearances and attributes Ivy couldn't help but smile "So this is the one who wished to save dear Siegfried so long ago." Ivy really didn't care what happened to the troops, with armies willing to throw themselves at them in the attempt to gain the Soul Edge. She was more interested in seeing exactly what their leader once saw in this woman.

One of the Lizardmen stepped up, this one wore a golden chest plate and carried a double bladed spear, it swung it going into stance with one end under its shoulder "Stand side! No hurt!" the monster demanded in it's deep throaty voice its tongue lightly passing between it's jaws. The two Athenian maiden's however responded by bringing up their weapons into stance and bracing themselves. The monster narrowed its slit eyes and pointed forward and three of the gray skinned orcs rushed Sophitia and Cassandra whom both held their grounds. Two split up taking targets while the third jumped toward Sophitia.

Suddenly there was action as the sound of a rifle went off from an unseen point and the metal ball passed right through the leaping monster's head. Sophitia and Cassandra knew whom was responsible and took their chances darting forward at their opponents. Sophitia swung first her left arm wielding her shield up slapping the orcs cheaply made sword up away from her before she followed up twisting her body and swinging the blade held in her right hand. It passed up stabbing into the monster's chest before splitting it's collar bone coming through the shoulder.

Cassandra let out an aggressive yelp as she moved forward going low in a swift motion before slamming the blade of the Alpha Sword into the orc's stomach. She then drew it out and came up with her left foot giving a powerful roundhouse kick sending it away. She bit her lip at the sight of the strange black oily blood.

The Lizardman that lead the strike roared in anger as it watched three of the lower class troops get taken out and pointed his spear forward "Through!" he grunted before he rushed. This was right before they heard the alarm bell off their ship, they all turned to see the Eternal Wind there with the cannons it possessed ready. They all went off at once in a furry of erupting gunpowder and smoke at the unprotected enemy ship punching several holes in the hull of it.

Ivy growled at the sight. This ship, meant strictly for carrying troops, wasn't outfitted for head on fighting. Suddenly two figures jumped from the ship, one of them carried a seven foot rod over his shoulder the other carried a slender bladed sword. Ivy cursed her luck. The woman truly was the one that shattered the first broken Soul Edge and those two that jumped ship were undoubtably the two that battled and injured the remaining blade just four years prior.

They both ran toward the edge of the boat and then leapt off as two more shots were fired from the Eternal Wind smashing in to the group of monsters killing a decent number. On deck Michael laughed with victory as Juan and Stephan continued to prepare the cannons. Maxi pulled away from the wheel as he stood on deck ready with both of his weapons awaiting the enemy, he looked outward "Kilik! Xianghua! We have the boat! Get the damned shard!" he shouted. Cassandra looked toward the mansion as they finally had time to feel it out obviously whoever had it was clutching it now. The monsters roared before rushing towards the mansion.

It was pure chaos up and down the street as the monsters at least thirty of them rushed toward the mansion a decent number of them avoiding the maidens as well as Kilik and Xianghua who made their way over. All of the others that had still been on the boat were preparing to board the Eternal Wind and left the said crew with quite a problem. However none of them really lasted long as none of the superior fighters had stayed on board, only the weak minded, home grown orcs. Maxi's shouts of adrenaline as well as Michael's grunts from the weight of his spear could be heard from the streets as the monsters rushed the mansion. While a faction of the abominations stayed to hold off Kilik and the others.

Yunsung grunted as he smashed his fist, which was still gripping his sword, into the last bodyguard's face. He and Talim had taken over the main hall, the bodies of the unconscious, defeated bodyguards and their discarded weapons littered the balconies and the ground floor. Yunsung breathed as he brought up the White Storm ready as he stepped up the balcony looking back as Talim speedily walked toward him "You alright?"

Yunsung brushed off his arms keeping up his attitude "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Talim sighed at the pride and arrogance that Yunsung flaunted so often. Link was nowhere to be found he obviously wanted to fight without the threat of showing the two new fighters his true identity.

Yunsung and Talim stood on a small balcony right above the main entrance and they could see all of the main hall. Yunsung looked at his handy work and lightly smiled "Too easy I say." he pointed out.

Talim looked at him "Only when its made that way." she said spinning one of her elbow blades. Yunsung turned and looked out the large stained glass window and his eyes widened as he saw through the blurry glass "Huh?" he quickly brought up his sword and forced a hole in the glass. His eyes widened as he saw the strike force of Uruk-hai and Lizardmen rushing the mansion "Okay, that for sure is not a good thing." he breathed as he heard the front doors being forced open.

Ivy smiled with amusement as she watched her target climb the ladder to the roof from the third floor balcony obviously being driven crazy by the shard. He carried a standard Rapier with him, but it wouldn't do him any good. It was all a matter of just waiting for him to hold still then sending Valentine through his back and heart. Suddenly another person caught her eye as he moved through the balcony door and rushed up the ladder toward where the Don was on the flat roof. Ivy looked at the man unable to tell who it was at such a distance taking out her spy glass once again she looked toward him focusing.

Isabella Valentine let a smile cross her violet lips as she realized who he was, perhaps her time living elsewhere in her childhood and teen years wasn't in vain after all. "What a pitiful small word we live in." she murmured to herself as one frenchman looked at the other. The new arrival drew out his sword, the red and silver designs reflecting in the pre-noon sun as the familiar man prepared to put his skills to the test. DeVal completely lost in his lust of the shard hissed at the man as he jerked out his own rapier going into an inexperienced stance that showed he had no clue of what he was doing. Insanity had its weaknesses.

Raphael looked at the Don threatened him at his own style of fighting as an amused and somehow serious expression came over his face. DeVal breathed gaspingly "I'll kill you. I'll watch you die!" he shot out. Raphael narrowed his eyes knowing exactly what DeVal's history was, he was a smuggler, underground crime lord and his only form of self defense were the talents of other people. Though by the way he was taking hold of that shard he could be drawing knowledge off it, because it was quite obvious he had no technique.

Raphael took a bow forward as he raised Flambert "Well then. Let us dance." he said his voice dripping with ego. While he was in no way a very arrogant person when he found himself in a serious battle, it was his way of infuriating his opponent. It worked often as well.

Three different battles at the same point in time. All for the same piece of demonic steel.

Next Chapter: The Battle of Istanbul pt.2

(Voice of Xianghua) This is a nightmare! It is exactly as it was all those years ago! There is no doubt that the Black Wind has returned with not only Nightmare, but a great deal more power behind them! I don't know how we are going to fight this battle, but we cannot allow this city to fall under the fires of those that serve the Soul Edge. Good thing the Defenders are on our side, we need all the help we can get. 


	13. Battle of Istanbul pt2

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.

Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Twelve: Battle of Istanbul Pt.2

The street outside the mansion had turned into a battlefield in itself as the lower class orcs attacked the four higher trained warriors while the three Lizardmen and about fifteen Uruk-hai headed into the mansion's courtyard. On the roof a pair of men could each be seen drawing their swords, one under control the other very hurried about it. All the while a woman on another roof watched, and the three men on deck of the Eternal Wind continued to hammer off the opposition who dared to set foot upon the treasured ships with means of spilling blood.

Kilik shouted as he brought the end of Kali-Yuga up hard in a jabbing motion slamming it into the throat of a nearby orc, a gorey crackling sound was heard as it fell to the ground dead. Kilik then quickly twisted smashing the sacred rod into the next opposer before bringing it to rest under his shoulder just as the monsters rushed the mansion "We can't hold them off forever!" he shouted. Cassandra growled as she swung her shield hard smashing it into the nearest orc's face, it was a new feeling but she knew how these creatures came to be. They had no soul and certainly no lives. No loss on her part.

Sophitia went low with the Omega Sword allowing it to impale through another one's abdomen before stepping back to take her stance and kick it back "Does anybody have any bright ideas?" she asked swiftly. Cassandra looked up towards the doors as the group around them seemed to retreat they were only being distracted.

She looked onwards knowing that they had to do something "I need a volunteer." she said. Xianghua accepted knowing that Sophitia and Kilik were easily the more skilled of the four. They then began to advance toward the mansion.

"Ah damn!" Yunsung shouted as the doors were broken down and the hoards of the Black Wind moved up at them. Talim and Yunsung couldn't hope to hold all of them off as several of them ran at them. Suddenly there was a quick movement right before the shaft of an arrow buried itself into one of their heads, going right through the monster's armor.

It caused several of them to topple over as they tripped over the corpse. Yunsung looked up to see Link standing on the other side taking shots at the creatures with his bow from the top of the stairs. Talim looked at Yunsung as the monsters recovered "Come on." she shouted before pulling him after her.

Moving toward the window Talim and Yunsung both jumped falling a floor before landing on the overhang of the front door, quickly recovering from the short fall Yunsung pulled Talim to her feet and they found themselves in the middle of the brawl. As Yunsung moved to stab at one of the monsters, Cassandra appeared swiftly giving it a kick to the head. She was breathing heavily and Yunsung didn't know what to make of her at this point, they had obviously been defending them for a while. "Talim where is Link?" Cassandra asked. Talim sheepishly looked back toward the mansion.

Xianghua twisted Kali Yuga in her hand before looking at Yunsung "Who is this?" she asked. Yunsung looked at her knowing her as one of China's former higher ranking swordsmaidens that was dropped in rank after the destruction of Soul Edge.

"That doesn't matter." he snapped at her holding up White Storm ready as the monsters approached them "I think we have bigger problems than that!" he shouted pointing at the oncoming group of Uruk-hai.

Xianghua looked at the Athenian swordsmaiden "Cassandra. Just find Link and get out of there!" she ordered.

Cassandra took advantage of the monsters regrouping and headed inside the Alpha Sword at her side ready to move. The monsters were raiding the place searching for the fragment and obviously not having any luck at this point. Cassandra ducked aside as the one on the top of the stairs roared, judging by the bodies with arrows in them Link was giving them alot of trouble.

Suddenly, there was a horn sounding in the distance, the leader reacted by roaring as he pointed outside essentially demanding they defend the house from the upcoming invaders. Cassandra then watched as he rushed through a door after somebody obviously Link. The other two stood on guard. Cassandra breathed as she tried to think of something.

Link breathed as he had retreated into the library after managing to slay several of their searchers, however seeing the better armed Lizardmen made him back off for the time being to collect himself. Link turned around as the doors to the Don's office were suddenly kicked in only to be slammed again, he looked up seeing the monster that apparently was leading these forces. The gold chest plate and the double edged spear set him apart from any of the others. It narrowed his orange red eyes at Link before drawing back its arm and hurling the weapon at Link hopping to skewer him.

The swordsman quickly moved as the sword pierced through his cloak before stabbing into the far wall. Link looked up narrowing his eyes before the monster before him drew a shield and short sword, he looked at the monster sizing him up. Oddly it brought back memories from his first journey across his land, of the savage beings that wielded needle swords and simple shields as well as a resemblance to reptiles. Link replaced his bow on his back sliding it behind his new blade's sheath "Guess I'm not as far from home as I originally thought." he said before dropping into stance tossing the cloak to the floor.

The Lizardman growled, his jaws stained a light pink from a previous battle, a foul breath emerged as he gave an open mouth snarl. Link narrowed his eyes as it spoke "Die!" it groaned before rushing forward. Link still seemingly unarmed jumped to the side hard as the monster took a swing at his head, his hand went to his belt and he hurled something. It looked like bent stick, but as the monster looked up he found himself impacted right in the snout stunning him and allowing Link to get some distance. The strange weapon curved and returned to the elven who smirked before replacing it on his belt.

Cassandra breathed slowly before she rushed the two Lizardmen again going low before twisting and bringing the blade of the Omega sword up "Get out of my way!" she shouted in anger. The spear that the monster wielded broke in half as the blade made contact, Cassandra then spun with his left arm smashing her shield into its head. A few teeth could be seen flying with the mixed blood as its skull was crushed in and it ceased movement, the other one which carried a halberd snarled in anger before turning from where it was at the shattered window. Cassandra narrowed her eyes before huffing and rushing into the library where Link was.

As Cassandra rushed through the doors and looked up "Link!" he shouted as she saw the monster rush at Link taking a snap with it's jaws. Link dodged to the side before kicking the monster across its snout with a jumping kick, the monster growled before swinging hard. Link stepped back just in time as the blade cut a gash near the shoulder of his tunic, he moved toward the entrance of the room to meet up with Cassandra just as the other one broke in. They both ended up back to back as the two scaled terrors circled them "Are you alright Link?" she asked. Link nodded "Yeah. Don't try to block, they strike to hard." he said his right arm aching him.

Cassandra nodded as she felt the sword sheath on his back against hers "Got a plan?" he asked her quite simply as he gripped his sword. Cassandra shook her head as she kept her eyes glared at her pursuer "Not really. Just keep your eye on the ugly one." Link nodded showing no humor as he kept his stance, Cassandra looked back at her target as Link slowly slipped his shield off his arm "You die!" The leader roared before running at Link. The other followed suit, Link moved dropping the shield catching it at the end to smash it across the monster's face.

The younger of the Athenian sisters looked back pulling her leg back before twisting, the monster made a stab, but just missed before she smashed her heel traveling at high speeds into its back. She ignored the sounds of clanging steel as Link and the leading Lizardman fought eventually there was the sound of shattering glass. Cassandra looked back to see that both of them had smashed out the balcony doors. Cassandra huffed "Men. Always having to do things the destructive way." she murmured before turning her attention back to her opponent.

Link ignoring the pain of a few scratches from the window raised the hilt of his sword and brought it down hard on the monster but it managed to blunt it and kick him off. Link cursed himself for trying such a maneuver and quickly raised his sword and shield again, the monster growled before it rushed at Link swinging the short sword at him in anger. Link breathed as he adjusted his cape on his head keeping his ears in check as the monster and him circled one another waiting for the other to move.

Ivy meanwhile continued to watch Raphael and DeVal do the same thing having had nothing so far but a few clashes. DeVal was endlessly stressed out by the sharp whilst her old acquaintance Raphael Sorel remained calm and collected as always. Looking down from her place on opposite roof she spotted the leader of the attack and the new fighter from behind. Ivy lightly shrugged "Seekers just keep dressing odder and odder." she told herself as she continue to watch the two Frenchmen go at it, though eventually her attention was drawn back to Link and the Lizardman.

Link shouted as he dashed at the Lizardman who looked on ready to hold up his own shield however this didn't go as planned. The second Link was only a few feet from the monster he went down low tossing his sword to be held in his right hand blade down. He then came up hard in a powerful sweep that twisted him. The monster let out an ear splitting roar as the blade penetrated through its chest plate armor bending it inwards.

Ivy watched entertained as the swordsman came up to chain his attacks, he took another swipe slapping the blade from the monster's right hand then hunkered down bringing his blade off to the side. Link getting up his strength suddenly jumped into the air in a spinning motion the blade sent the commanding monster with him contacting two more times before he dropped fifteen feet to the ground.

Ivy watched the movements of the mysterious warrior impressed with just how much control this fighter had over his body, the monster then fell to the ground head first resulting in a rather familiar cracking sound. The boy then breathed as he looked over his slain opponent kneeling lightly at the corpse grabbing it by the snout and checking its neck. He breathed in relief as if the monster lacked something, perhaps a mark or something. She didn't understand, but this boy was none of her concern as she turned back toward Sorel and DeVal.

Raphael chuckled as the brought back his left hand which held the precious Flambert and swiped it up deflecting yet another one of DeVal's blows from his own sword. Raphael was obviously disappointed "What a waste of time." he said as he swiped up cutting a deep gash on the man's shoulder. The Don held his free hand which grasped the shard of the Soul Blade to his wound the shard soaking in the blood. Ivy watched with anticipation, it was a simple matter of jumping down there and retrieving the shard once one of them was the obvious victor.

Sorel studied DeVal as he went back into stance holding the shard against his chest, this ruined the basic balance and he had no style to him. The Don rushed Raphael suddenly and swung hard his weapon clanging against Flambert, he then pulled back drawing the sword across Raphael's wrist hardly even breaking skin. "Give up yet!" the Don asked as if completely out of his mind which would be expected.

Raphael looked at his wound which failed to even break through his gloves and deciding that it was time to end this, he looked up to answer the question "To be honest..." he narrowed his eyes speaking much more mercilessly "I'm irritated." he then moved forward.

Ivy watched as Raphael moved forward and swung hard sending the Don's sword from his hand and off the roof striking the body of the deceased Lizardman only seconds after the boy had retreated back inside. Raphael then moved his right hand catching DeVal's countering punch, he then moved forward pushing the Don stumbling. Then expertly and rapidly fast her made several consecutive jabs with his sword, only the tip of the blade penetrating flesh right before he drew all the way back and sent the blade through the Don's heart the gathered energy blowing him backwards.

Ivy Valentine smiled as she saw this glad that the sane had won this one, she looked back toward the harbors as she took notice of another ship coming into the area. Looking through the spy glass she found that it bore the seal of the Defenders and that horn from earlier meant they would come on foot too. Ivy knew that the Darkthorne would be arriving soon to pick her up as the other guard ship was doomed as it is, looking down at Raphael as he approached the downed victim of Soul Edge she decided to just grab it and be done. Though she was a little bit concerned for her servant onboard the still remaining guard ship.

Link walked back into the mansion looking up to see that the other Lizardman was done for, its skull had been collapsed and Cassandra was lightly holding her left arm obviously having brought it down a little hard. Link looked at her handy work as he picked up his cloak "Not bad." he stated.

Cassandra sheathed her sword at her side crossing her arms "Clumsy beast tripped." she pointed out a little disappointed. Link nodded looking toward the main entrance as there was still sounds of combat going on "We'd better help the others." he said. Cassandra nodded and they both headed out in the effort to escape the closed quarters of the mansion.

When they arrived outside they found that others had arrived on horseback and were going blade to blade with the monsters. All of them wore standard silver armor and possessed either spears, swords and shields or hand held axes, obviously these were the defenders that Sophitia spoke of earlier. But now there were many more monsters from the ship that was slowly sinking from the Eternal Wind's cannon fire. Link drew his sword and shield once again as the Uruk-hai and Lizardmen continued to out number the other members of the White Wind.

Yunsung and Talim soon appeared. Cassandra moved forward grabbing Yunsung's shoulder causing him to face her "What the hell is going on out here!" Cassandra shouted.

Yunsung looked back at the Black Wind's guard ship "The Defenders have arrived but it looks like they had more on that ship than we thought."

Talim looked around "We need to get to higher ground! Back to the Eternal Wind." she pointed to the ship that was just through the hoards.

Yunsung breathed in keeping his blade ready before rushing forward at the gathering mob "You people better be behind me!" he shouted as he made his blitz.

Raphael breathed as he flipped Flambert and caught it at it's handle "Hurph. Even beast know when they should give up." he said to the possessed man who laid there still clutching the shard even in death. Raphael wasn't going to risk getting close and in desperation raised his sword cutting through the man's wrist causing the hand to go limp and release the shard. As he thought it was the real deal, it glowed crimson like the ones they had seen earlier slowly Raphael kneeled to pick it up with his gloved hand.

Suddenly Raphael heard the wind alter, being cut by something coming from above. He turned in time to see something slam down into the roof and then exit up through the Don's hand sending the shard flying up into the air. Raphael growled as he saw it was a weapon. Not to be outdone by a scavenger Raphael quickly looked back tracking the bladed rope to its owner, a women wearing a cloak and rather scandalous leather. He moved hard as the shard fell to the roof landing in the center however just as he rushed up ready to attack the woman, the weapon retracted completely into a sword.

The French swordsman jumped back as it was then swung at him the short blade just missing him and he looked at the woman. She looked right back at him a smile coming to her face, it was pretty obvious he wouldn't recognize her as their last meeting was fourteen years ago before her father became completely obsessed with Soul Edge and his family became involved in the private war going on in France. Something truly was familiar about her to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it, he knew nobody with such flawless platinum hair.

He held up the Flambert toward her narrowing his own cold eyes "Kindly and slowly step away miss. I do not wish to draw to blood of a lady or a woman. But I will if I must." he demanded rather delicately.

Ivy closed her eyes smiling "A man of grace and integrity to the end. Unbelievable." she murmured to herself before holding up her sword ready to fight him. Raphael looked down below slightly then to the shard, Ivy took her chance and rushed him swinging the broader short sword. Raphael held up his own blade to block pushing back against Valentine as it approached him, Ivy smiled.

Raphael then out of retaliation kicked the shard to get her attention off him, he however didn't count on it going right off the roof falling right toward the hoards on the ground. Ivy looked up as this happened, as much a chance as her forces had of getting it so did the Defenders or the White Wind. She growled before she swung her leg kicking him hard in the side, he buckled lightly but moved up to swing at her. Ivy avoided it as she jumped back and ran toward another building, the Ivy Blade went out with a snap catching the side and she used it to slide down the side. Raphael then looked toward the crowd as pandemonium ensued.

This was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

Next Chapter: Alliance of the Seekers

(Voice of Yunsung) I guess I should have expected this kind of resistance sooner or later, but the fact that the original members of the Black Wind are still in their ranks is something that our group was hoping for. It means that the sword is probably still with them too. I don't know what to make some of these people, but an invitation to join the efforts of the White Wind sounds appealing. That'll have to wait however, can't let Talim and Raphael have all the fun with this new monster they just unleashed. 


	14. Alliance of the Seekers

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. Link and the rest of the Zelda series is the property of Nintendo. This story is simply a fan writing.

Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Thirteen: Alliance of the Seekers

Raphael watched as the shard went sailing through the air, at least put out of this woman's reach. He watched as she looked right at him with those piercing eyes before she smiled, turned and jumped off the side of the building saving herself with that odd weapon of hers. Still with his weapon in hand, Raphael rushed to the side as the shard fell into the fray which his Korean counterpart and the other seekers were fighting through. He noticed that the Lizardmen then started going for it while the woman made her way down near the docks and watched, obviously waiting for the fights to fizzle itself out.

The fallen master of the Sorel clan growled as he turned and ran back to the ladder he had accended from "I really don't need this kind of hell." he murmured as he slid down the ladder then dashed through the house coming into the main hall. The jade scaled Lizardmen and the soldiers of the Black Wind continued to over turn objects in the house leaving Raphael forced to dispatch them.

As he came back into the main hall, his gloved hand slid down Flambert's blade swiping the blackish blood from it. One of the Uruk-hai suddenly rushed into the house roaring "The fragments outside! Get out here worms!" he roared in a barely human voice.

Raphael looked up as this new one watched the others run out, moving swiftly he dashed down the stairs as the Uruk-hai turned. He stabbed the perfectly tempered tip of the Rapier pierced through the cheap iron sword and impaled the monster's face, Raphael pulled the sword out "Stupid beast." he said before he darted outside.

Looking up, he saw that Yunsung, his southeastern acquaintance and a rather attractive young blond woman were running for the ship. The other one had come out and was back with his cloak and hood, he had joined another group fighting off the monsters and doing well. Raphael joined in the fray not wanting to lose the shard.

Sophitia shouted loudly as she broke through two of the Uruk-Hai as one of the orcs took hold of the Soul Edge fragment gripping it as he did so. It looked up right in time to get smashed in the face with the Elk Shield which sent his nose into his skull with fatal results. The fragment landed near Kilik who turned swiftly to smash the Kali Yuga upside another one of the monster's head giving an impact fracture to the left side of it's skull. The shard dropped from its fingers but before Kilik could move for it another leathery foot kicked it away. He jumped up just dodging another blade as he came up the reverse of his rod smashing into an Uruk-hai's unarmored crotch causing it to tumble back.

Xianghua appeared stabbing it through on its way down and stood back to back with Kilik "Where is the shard?" she asked. With all the other life forces buzzing around it was difficult to get a fix on such a simple Soul Edge shard which emitted energy only when grasped.

"Where's Maxi?" Sophitia shouted.

"Back on the ship! We should pull away! More of the defenders are coming and we don't want to get caught in the cross fire!" Kilik announced. Taking up her sword Sophitia helped them move away toward the docks where the Black Wind's ship had finally sunk. Maxi was pulling the Eternal Wind out of the docks as they noticed the Defender's ship stopping, he didn't want to be in their way.

Sophitia, Cassandra, Yunsung and Talim all came to a stop at the edge of the harbor as several of the massive group of monsters started to break off from the square leading a newly arrived unit of the Defenders to chase them. Yunsung however knew that the shard they were seeking was still in the melee along with Raphael, Kilik, Xianghua and Talim's mysterious friend who was nowhere to be seen.

Ivy watched a little entertained as the fragment continued switching between owners until finally one of the Uruk-hai held it up roaring. Suddenly there was a swift movement as the hand and the shard went flying through the air, all of them backed away as the monster was then bisected. Ivy brought out her spyglass to look down and receive a glimpse of the figure that had been dress in the black cloak.

Link looked up as the shard fell toward the ground, the red glow waiting to be grasped again. He slowly extended his right hand which was currently without a shield and the fragment made impact, its weight lightly forcing the arm down. Ivy's smirking violet lips then parted in surprise, even as the figure cloaked his fist around the shard there was no exaggerated signal. In fact her cursed blood screamed at her that the energy signature was slowly dying down in his grasp. It was as if this young man had absolutely no evil within him. No dark side in which to tempt. Ivy narrowed her eyes "This child could be a real nuisance." she said holding up her weapon.

Suddenly as the Uruk-hai prepared to attack the Frenchman from before appeared behind one shoulder ramming him as hard as he could forcing several of them from the ground. The ship from the Defenders was docked in the harbor launching boats to shore not wanting to risk the ship being taken over. Several of them landed including a woman with dark red hair who appeared to be their leader she looked at Sophitia "You. Your Sophitia Alexandria aren't you?" Sophitia nodded. In this time many military groups knew of her face as they knew of what she did seven years ago in damaging the Soul Edge.

Link looked back at the Frenchman as he moved the fragment to the hand that held his sword before raising his right hand something clutched something. Kilik narrowed his eyes as he felt a sudden uprise in Link's soul and looked at the others and motioned toward the ship. Link suddenly moved hurling the object into the ground, Raphael quickly looked away as a explosion of light went off blinding most of the monsters surrounding him. Raphael ran forward following a running Link "What did you do kid!" he shouted.

Link looked back at him "Added a little of my own energy into a naturally grown flash bomb. Never mind that now, just move!" he shouted as they moved from the group. 

The hoard slowly regained sight but this was right as the defenders started to go after the group with at least twenty well armed and trained warriors the bruised and battered Uruk-Hai and Lizardmen had little course of action than to leave. Though the Lizardmen had the advantage of being able to run toward the docks right past Ivy and make a quick paced swim for it all while the armored and thick bodied Uruk-Hai sank like rocks. Ivy looked back as she saw her vessel as it approached the docks, well out of range of the docked Defender's ship. The seekers had claimed what they came for, Ivy however just huffed deciding that the shard was out of her reach now and turned to make her way down the docks.

Suddenly as she walked an object hurled from the side, Ivy's eyes went wide before she jumped back and the blade of the weapon stabbed into the nearby wall. She narrowed her eyes as she easily recognized the Zanbatou that hung just near her, she jumped back away from it and whipped up her weapon which extended knocking it from the wall to stab into the ground between the attacker and herself. She looked up to she a miffed Seung Mina standing there.

Ivy smirked upon seeing Mina standing there glaring at her, Ivy straightened up "What? The lashing I gave you last time not enough?" she said.

Mina shook her head "I wouldn't have believe it unless I saw it. You are with the Black Wind."

Ivy scoffed as she recalled her blade together pointing it directly at Mina "Believe it girl! Because of who I am I have to be on someone's side and it certainly won't be of those that foolishly wish to take the sword." Mina glared at her as she stepped forward pulling Scarlet Thunder up and going into stance.

Ivy rolled her eyes "This isn't the same as your training." Mina narrowed her eyes, Ivy as before went with attempting to psyche the other fighter out with her little threats and overly confident demeanor. Seung Mina narrowed her eyes before darting forward at Ivy swinging the pole, the Valentine lashed out heading for Mina's abdomen.

The Korean warrior jerked to the side as the multi-segmented whip lashed fast her body and she swung up at the cord. The blade clashed with the cord and caught it, Ivy smirked before she whipped again just slightly. The wire suddenly snapped back wards sliding right through the segments of the blade back in to the hilt of Ivy's sword and before Mina could question the segments all returned to Ivy as well forming into the blade. Ivy smirked as she held her weapon "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that no matter how much one might try, this weapon cannot be broken or destroyed. I myself have tried it." Mina stepped back "Shit." she growled to herself.

Ivy moved to step away when Mina rushed her again "Now get out of my way!" she shouted as she lashed out her sword into its whip form which slammed hard against the Scarlet Thunder sending Mina back as an explosion of Ivy's own energy was added to it.

Mina fell back right in time to be caught, Ivy lightly huffed upon seeing this. The warrior from the night before stood there looking at her, he glared at her with some sort of forbidding leer that seemed to analyze her very soul. He glanced at Mina "Regroup with Yunsung and Raphael..." his eyes narrowed on Ivy as he felt out her very soul, reading out the energy from her "...I have something to discuss with this woman." he said darkly.

Mina looked at Kyle then to Ivy narrowing her own eyes knowing that Kyle was essentially the only other guy she knew who could fight Hwang evenly. Picking up her Zanbatou she wished him luck before moving toward the other end of the docks where the others were regrouping. Ivy held up her sword as Kyle looked at her his left hand idly held the hilt of the stained black sword, however there was also one across his back that looked like the one he carried only its blade was a brilliant bright silver. Valentine lightly twitched in her hand as the black bladed sword emitted a beating sound, another living sword but not nearly as free motion as her own.

Kyle looked at her before speaking "The scent of your blood is very familiar to my sword." Ivy raised an eyebrow at this comment as she realized that she had never before fought this boy and certainly hadn't been cut by his sword.

"Allow me to explain, the Oblivion has the ability to memorize the scent and taste of another blood once it has taken it in. Yet your blood is less aged than that of the one I seek." he said. Ivy looked at him blankly but then gasped as she realized what he was talking about. 

The younger warrior looked at her noticing her body language "So now you know exactly whom I hunt, I'd expect that of a daughter. If your blood shares the natural concern that it normally does I'd warn him that I'm coming." Ivy realized this was no idle threat, but held no concern over it.

Ivy chuckled as she looked at him "Sorry to disappoint you handsome, but I actually couldn't care less what happens to him. Also, let me give you some advice if you want to avoid my wrath in the future, don't address me as that bastard's daughter." she stated somewhat threateningly.

There was suddenly the sound of another ship being blown by the winds as suddenly the feared ship known as the Darkthorne appeared right behind Ivy. The Guard ship was slowly sinking but it was odd that they would have the oars being used to back the black painted ship in to the harbor. Kyle stepped back narrowing his eyes knowing that this woman was not his concern, but he felt a very dark power coming from inside the ship but it wasn't malevolent enough to be that of the Soul Edge. Ivy looked toward the ship that now only had its deck visible above the water as the rock bed had caught it.

Somebody suddenly jumped up from the already lost ship landing on the docks, Ivy lightly smirked as she saw that he had enough sense to keep himself hidden. At this point several of them were keeping point waiting for the Defender's ship to arrive as well as their own ship. Cassandra looked toward this new figure, he like Link wore a black cloak but was shorter by about three inches. A few dark blond bangs poked out from the hood as he looked at them, he was obviously younger than herself, from what she could see of his face he couldn't be much older than sixteen.

He looked back lightly as he moved toward the Darkthorne, a few of the arriving Defenders rushed him ordering him to stop. They obviously didn't expect him to fight back as he jumped to the side slamming his knee hard into one stomach before drawing a blade from over his shoulder, it was a short bladed katana of sorts. Bringing the dull side before the soldiers neck he pulled sharply taking him off balance before sending him over the side of the deck. Ivy just watched from her place now on the deck of the Darkthorne that was more than ready for a fire fight with the Defenders if their ship dared to move. Once he reached the Darkthorne he dropped his cloak which was soaked anyway.

Kyle looked at him lightly as he backed away he possessed almost dark golden hair going down to the middle of his back. His decent couldn't be seen, but it was apparent that he had mixed blood, his eyes at just a glimpse were a powerful blue while his face bore that of one who knew the fires of battle. Suddenly something opened in the back of the ship, a large trap door which gave the boy access to the deck. At the sound of the wood clapping against the dock Talim turned from her position her eyes landing on the boy, she had only a glimpse before he entered the ship but had enough time to gasp. (yeah another OC)

Cassandra reached out grabbing Talim by the arm as she tried to run toward the ship, somehow driven by some unknown force "Are you crazy! That crazy bitch can strike you down before you get there!" she shouted.

Ivy lightly smiled as Kyle narrowed his eyes at what he saw just past the shadows into the hull of the ship. Ivy smiled before she spoke "Like what you see? It is truly amazing how powerful the larger fragments can do, but only a sliver of the sword charged with our leaders power can do spectacular things to other living things that don't have the mental capacity to fight back." Ivy looked at Mina as she rushed up coming into stance "I can't leave my favorite distraction alone without a playmate now can I?" she laughed.

With these words there was the sound of dropping chains before something jumped right out of the gap that had opened in the back of the ship. Kyle's left arm on instinct moved in front of Mina as he saw this thing. It obviously had once been a four legged animal of some sort, but it had grown large and it was fierce as it glared at them. A pair of large horns came from its head though they went backwards it was obvious that this thing was all about brute force. It possessed grayish remaining fur ,but its blood shot eyes showed the insane bloodlust it was suffering. It stood at around twelve feet tall and was clearly a threat, Kyle closed his eyes lightly as he held up his sword.

Ivy laughed a sadistic nature in her voice before she dropped her gaze to look right at them "I always wanted to fool around with the Soul Edge's true power. This is merely an example of it. It pales in comparison of what it has allowed me to pull from the underworld. Hopefully our little pet can entertain you." Mina stepped forward still confused by the situation. When she had originally met Ivy the temptress had been on a journey to find and destroy the Soul Edge and had initiated battle with Mina when it became apparent she was after it. Two years ago she had heard that the same woman was running with the Black Wind. This Ivy was not the same one that she had fought so long ago, she was far too sultry and outspoken, the old Ivy was withheld and forbidding.

The Lizardmen on deck all seemed to be entertained by the fact that they had at least done a good amount of damage, though officially they had failed their objectives and lost many troops. They stood back as Ivy walked down towards the edge of the ship with a clearly disappointed expression on her face. It might have gone better had it not been for the interference, though she half wished that Renzor would have been there to take charge of his kind. She had realized that she was not a great tactician unless she only had to worry about herself, the numbers went against her own ability.

Isabella Valentine looked back lightly as her young servant walked up to her looking at the monster as it prepared to further the damage to Istanbul and possibly a few of those that sought their leader's sword. He looked up at her for a few seconds before he spoke "Wouldn't it be wiser to wait for the shard to become approachable again?" he questioned dryly.

Ivy shook her head towards this young man that somehow surpassed many of those twice his age in both ability and knowledge "No. We don't need to be followed, and just because they have it for now doesn't mean we can't retrieve it later." she assured him.

The boy nodded "I see. Sorry."

Ivy smiled at him placing her hand on his shoulder "No appologies nessesary, dear boy." she said kindly. Ivy was once again left to wonder how he could be so loyal with no offer of reward while the others were often pretty worthless and hoped for their share once the Soul Edge managed to spread its influence farther.

As the Darkthorne escaped from Istanbul aided by those at its oars and a good wind that pushed it South the others were left with this behemoth of a goat. Kyle held up the Oblivion his other hand held the other blade but it appeared that he didn't plan to use it.

Mina breathed "Ready?" she asked, Kyle nodded slowly as he glared at the monster ready as ever. Suddenly there were footsteps as Raphael and Yunsung rushed up to join them each of them ready with their weapons.

"What kind of an example would I be if I stood back." Raphael said to the trio of younger fighters. Yunsung ignored this as he got ready to go.

Meanwhile back on the other side of the docks Link removed the shard from the folds of his cloak while looking right at the monster. Cassandra looked to her left as Jack ran up having been taking shots at the running Uruk-Hai, he breathed "What the hell is that!" he shouted.

Sophitia drew out the Omega Sword when suddenly Link raised the Rothion's Sword cutting her off before looking at her "You stay here." he said before placing the fragment he had collected in her hand. As Link moved to join the four warriors that had already assisted them more than enough Sophitia turned to Talim who still seemed to be in a bit of shock. Cassandra shouted as she suddenly dashed forward after Link.

Yunsung looked to his right as Link suddenly joined them "You again, eh?" Raphael looked as well before nodding "Help if you must, but whatever is in this thing is ours." he said before rushing forward gracefully. Yunsung followed running much faster and with much less control than Raphael. Jumping up Yunsung brought up his foot to smash across the monster's jaw, however Yunsung landed in pain.

He looked up "That things head is like stone!" he shouted realizing that such a tactic wouldn't distract it any more than it would piss it off. Cassandra suddenly ran up holding up the Alpha Sword "Then get around it!" she shouted as he stabbed her sword into it's side. He turned to snap at her but she managed to turned and run drawing her sword across the things rear left leg.

Raphael stood back as he pulled Yunsung to his feet "I think it would be a good plan to stand back." he said as he backed up. Kyle stepped back as the monster snapped at him then quickly jumped forward slashing vertical to the ground breaking the skin around its jaws. It roared pulling back moaning like a goat in the slaughter.

Link pulled away as Kyle seriously looked at him "Do you think you can distract it for a few seconds?" he requested.

Link nodded as he looked up toward it and saw the motion of movement "Cassandra! Get away from that thing!" he screamed right before the monster swung its head slamming into Cassandra and sending her flying a short distance. She landed on the ground, falling back in pain.

Seung Mina rushed up helping Cassandra to her feet and lead her away from the monster, Kyle glared at the monster as it threatened to go after Seung Mina and the other girl "Oh no you don't." he growled glaring at the monster holding up his sword. As the monster prepared to attack an arrow flew from the right stabbing into the monster's left eye, it roared in pain as two more struck it doing more than enough to force it to drop its guard.

Kyle reversing his sword ran at the monster and jumped up on its lowered head, he then kneeled raising his sword before bringing it down dead center on its back. The long sword punched through the monster's spinal cord and into its heart. It roared as it bucked Kyle off, he landed rolling into a stance holding up the sword however before he could make another move another arrow flew by much stronger than before.

It glowed a very thin aura of blue as it flew through the air before striking the monster in the forehead. The arrow didn't break though it went at least two feet through the monster, it slowly groaned before it fell to the ground. The twin wounds brought out its lifeblood and the monster slowly died a rather miserable death on the docks of Istanbul.

The entire team seemed relieved as Sophitia ran to join Link and the hurt Cassandra. "Uh stupid." Cassandra whimpered holding her shoulder which seemed to have been dislocated. Link looked at her as Sophitia spoke "Hold her still." she ordered.

Link pulled back his hood and did so, kneeling behind Cassandra and holding her by the shoulders, Sophitia then gave Cassandra's right arm a sharp push into the shoulder. Cassandra let out a cry of pain as her arm was forced back into place, Link pulled her close to him holding her close "It's alright." he whispered.

Cassandra softly breathed as she felt Link hold her once again. It was a feeling that she wasn't exactly used to, as she had never been the most open to sympathy, yet it didn't feel out of place for her. It was something warm and touching that she could melt into. Link carefully pulled her to her feet before they moved back toward the others, Cassandra lightly holding her sore shoulder. The sound of Maxi's shouting as he came back to the dock a comfort and promise that the battle was finally over.

Sophitia meanwhile approached the other four of them who had gathered around the carcass of the monster. The one apparently named Kyle reached into the hole that was present in the monster's forehead and drew something out, it glowed red and seemed to be no bigger than a toothpick. A sliver from Soul Edge.

Narrowing his eyes he allowed it to drop to the ground before he stamped his foot into it grinding. The sliver of demonic steel was crushed a decomposed under Kyle's heel. Even if they sought the shards, it was far to insignificant to be of any true worth. Mina softly shook her head as she leaned on her weapon "So what do we do now?" Yunsung asked seeing that they had lost their chance at the shard. They didn't want to fight with the other seekers. It would be unjustified.

Kyle huffed lightly yet seriously not getting any of the information he wanted out of that woman "I don't know." he growled as the Darkthorne was already out of sight.

Raphael crossed his arms as he looked back at the approaching Eternal Wind "Personally the thought of joining these people has crossed my mind."

Before they could even consider the suggestion of their eldest member, Sophitia had closed the gap with the group "That sounds like it could work well, but first we'd like to hear your story." she stated. The ship which apparently belonged to this group was now docked, Mina spoke up "Alright. Lets go boys." she said following Sophitia.

Yunsung seemed pretty sour about all of this as he followed "Something wrong my eastern friend?" he asked.

He crossed his arms tighter "When I first started searching I requested to join these people. Essentially their members from Japan blew me off. After saying no they drew their blades and threatened to use them." he complained. Kyle crossed his arms knowing that these two both wanted the sword for their own reasons, Raphael would use it to bring France back to peace through fear, Yunsung wanted to succeed where his idol had failed.

Seung Mina still claimed that it would bring honor to her father's dojo, but had plotted with him to destroy it. Kyle however, was only with them for the sake of his desired revenge against the former wielder of the Soul Edge and he only fought because he realized it would lead him to the object of his vengence.

Eventually the entire group was standing on the docks, the Defenders were regathering at their own ship on the other end of the dock while their own ship was ready. Maxi stepped down from the ship stretching out "Just like you guys to hog all the action." Kilik and Xianghua chuckled.

Maxi looked at Yunsung and the others as they stood there they were looking for the one who had claimed the shard but it seemed that he was checking things on the ship along with their gunner. Kilik looked at Kyle as he spoke "You people also seek the fragments and the sword. Why?" he asked.

Kyle scoffed "Don't ask me, I just cart them around."

Yunsung was about to speak up when Talim decided to keep him quiet "They do not search for the same reason we do. They seek to use the swords power to their own ends. They will become the next Nightmare if they get it." she warned Kilik. This resulted in Yunsung making fists and shooting a light glare at her, he firmly believed that no blade could control a person.

Raphael shrugged as he sheathed Flambert "I only plan to use it to scare those fools in France into halting their pathetic little personal war. Simply the fact that it is in my possession will force them to do as I say. After they are convinced you can do whatever you damn well please with it, rest assured that I will not be taken over by a blade." he promised. Sophitia would have admitted that his resolve was admirable had Siegfried had not been the same a lifetime ago.

Talim shrugged at Raphael as Yunsung just stood there "And are you still going with the whole 'I have to defend my country' excuse?" she said scornfully remembering when he had confronted her and made her lose the shard she had. Sophitia found it obvious that they knew one another. Seung Mina just sighed as she knew Yunsung was going to let his mouth get ahead of him.

Hong Yunsung took a step forward "Look Talim. The reason I search is my own business. It is really none of your concern, and second it isn't an excuse. I will protect my country with the power that sword holds." he said rather passionately.

Raphael lightly shrugged "If you want to destroy it after I am done with it you may. I don't care. Because myself and Yunsung both want it we're playing first come first serve." Yunsung looked at Raphael. They had been traveling together a while before they joined Seung Mina, under the threat that if they didn't allow them to Mina would personally drag him back to the dojo.

Sophitia spoke up suddenly a little saddened by Yunsung's purpose "There are many swords that possess power in this world. Is it really necessary to chase after something that others seek to destroy or capture?" she asked as a matter of factly.

Yunsung turned away rudely "What do you know lady?" at this he received a swift slap to the back of his head. Yunsung turned to look right at Raphael standing there with his eyes narrowed and his teeth clinched "What was that for!" he shouted.

Raphael snatched him by the arm and pulled him off to the side "You've been seeking the Soul Edge for a year and yet you don't know anything about it! That woman standing there is Sophitia Alexandria, the founder of the White Wind and the woman who shattered one of the Soul Edge blades years ago. Show some respect you twit." he said sternly.

While Raphael lectured Yunsung, Kyle and Mina discussed this between them and eventually nodded then they turned to Sophitia "If we were to travel with you and follow your sixth sense we would eventually run into Nightmare and the Immortal Pirate won't we?" he questioned sounding like he had a mighty resolve.

The fact that he questioned Nightmare concerned Sophitia and made her wonder just how Athens had managed to be left in the dark to the fact that he had returned. Rumored claimed that Cervantes still plundered the seas and only after she had learned that the Soul Edge was still in the world did she realize how his existence was still possible. Sophitia shook off her thoughts and nodded her head grimly "There is no doubt about it." they would have to if they were going to succeed.

Kyle took a breath before he stepped toward the respected woman "We will travel with you. We have no desire for the sword. And we will keep those two out of trouble." Sophitia thought it over and sighed "I honestly don't know. We'll have to think about it." Kyle nodded.

Talim shook her head unable to believe that Sophitia was even considering this before she stepped up the ramp, Maxi lightly shrugged as he watch Talim walk by "Kids." he murmured. Sophitia walked up the ramp to Maxi while Kilik and Xianghua spoke with Kyle and Mina who stated that they had a shard of one of the sword secure at the dojo and they're intentions were not the same as Yunsung and Raphael's. Maxi spoke up "So I'll take it they may be coming with us."

Sophitia shook her head "I'm not sure. Lets wait for Link and Cassandra. We should all have a say in this..." she looked at Kyle and Mina "But I feel we can trust them." suddenly they all looked up as one of the Defenders walked toward the ship.

Sophitia stepped down the ramp as she realized it was the female leader from before, she saluted being an ally of the Defenders. The red haired captain saluted back before nodded Sophitia to ease. She stood about Sophitia's height possessed short cut red hair and interesting enough wore no armor outside of the chest plate, iron bracers and upper body chain mail. She had a rather impressive figure that would make for more of a prized wife than a soldier, however Sophitia saw the raw power that was possessed by her body.

"We appreciate your help Lady Sophitia. But I must ask why you're in this area, with the other members of the White Wind."

Sophitia didn't know how this woman knew so much but answered anyway "We were just getting supplies. One great piece of luck though."

The woman and Sophitia continued talking, she introduced herself as Captain Katherine Chambers that had been working with the Istanbul unit as they attempted to locate a new commanding officer, it explained her Germanic accent. Eventually Sophitia managed to tell her everything that was happening, that they were traveling because she had reason to believe that the Azure Nightmare was not truly dead. The recent actions of the Black Wind also seemed to support the theory that the malevolent group had not disbanded. Chambers however didn't seem pleased as she soon discovered that Sophitia planned to finish it once and for all.

"Lady Sophitia, you have no need to fight any longer. You have a man who loves you and your future has been laid out in front of you, after all you have done I see no reason that you must continue to take up the sword. Leave the Soul Edge to us." Sophitia knew of her fame in Europe and she also realized that her humble nature was well known.

Sophitia shook her head "I just cannot do that. I cannot lay down my sword until it is all over. My children will not be born into the possibility they must face this kind of hell, my burden will not be their own."

Captain Chambers nodded at this "It is your purpose. God speed to you Sophitia, but do not hesitate to call upon us for help, we share the same goals as you after all." she said before she turned to walk back to the ship. Sophitia sighed as she watched her walk away, her and her people had the same resolve as so many others who sought to destroy the sword. Hopefully they're hopes for the future would not be in vain.

Next Chapter: On The Move Once Again

(Voice of Kyle) Fate is a thing that can never be foreseen or predicted by any mortal man within the Gods given limits. Now we run with the White Wind in hopes of finding and destroying both the sword and those that serve its evil. That man with the strange ears tells a story of a country in the untraveled seas, it might fool the others but it will not fool me. What is your story Link?

OOC: rubs hands Whew! Long chapter. 


	15. On The Move Once Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. And I certainly don't own anybody from the Zelda Series, Nintendo does. And Todd McFarlen owns Nercrid and Spawn. I only own the original characters pointed out in my profile.  
  
Author's Note: Let me point out, when Nightmare is not holding the Soul Edge his is perfectly normal with Siegfried's body. Only his hair is dark blond. Also the extensive scene of the Black Wind in this is around five to eight days later, and Ivy is a day ahead of the White Wind by about a day or so.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Fourteen: On The Move Once Again  
  
The group lead by Kyle Strife eventually revealed as 'The Four Blades' waited for about an hour outside and on the Eternal Wind while Sophitia, Xianghua and Talim tended to the wounded Defenders and towns folk. Yunsung meanwhile sat up on deck waiting for all of them to cast judgment upon their group, if they would be allowed to at least follow or not. They just wanted a chance at claiming the Soul Edge. Yunsung couldn't care less, it was called the Sword of Heroes by his people and thus the ultimate practice to prove himself. The one man whom he had wanted recognition from would have to notice him if he completed the task he had tried for and failed at for six years.  
  
Raphael believed that rumor that the sword did have a mind of its own but had also heard that the one who wielded it before Cervantes had managed to at least hold it long enough to hide it away. Thus he had been relieving himself of all lust for power he possessed to his best effort, clearing his mind of all great and sinful negatives that could give the blade an advantage. Although he had yet to find a balance within his soul he was sure that sheer will would keep him safe should the sword be inheritely evil. Power had been known to drive men insane more often than anything such as a sword.  
  
Kyle looked around from his place at the bottom of the ramp with Seung Mina, Yunsung was on deck. Raphael was at the helm of the ship speaking with the eastern captain of the boat, likely checking to see how the conflict in France was going at this point. Kyle constantly kept an eye on Yunsung, but there was something about Raphael Soral that he just felt he couldn't trust. He was far too confident in battle and seemed to never lose track of himself, but it seemed that it wasn't a problem to Mina. He just couldn't like him, though he himself wasn't exactly the most social person he was still at least human.   
  
Sophitia calmly walked back from the square rubbing off her hands that were lightly stained by blood, few were gifted in sewing up wounds. Sophitia walked up to the dock and called the others out, Yunsung looked at White Storm in his grip lightly brushing his free hand through his hair "Guess this is the part where they all huddle and judge us like slabs of meat." he huffed. "I suppose. But they did say they needed help." Raphael added in from behind. They all stepped up to meet Sophitia. Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi were the first to arrive. Jack went below to tell the others.   
  
Kyle, Mina, Yunsung and Raphael all lined up on the docks in front of them as they all started to deliberate if they would allow them to follow or not. Sophitia spoke up to her group "We could always use more help and from what Mina tells me she and their leader have no intention of capturing the sword." Kilik nodded at this "I say we should give them a chance. It isn't like they can force us to help them and if they get the sword there is still time to steal it before it takes them over." Xianghua nodded. Maxi spoke "The French guy said that they have their own boat so they will have our backs at sea just in case." Sophitia nodded at this, with four more experienced warriors it gave them a better chance at saving Siegfried.  
  
Yunsung yawned lightly as he sat on the ground cross legged, Mina sat on a crate with Kyle standing next to her. Being that he had sent a letter to her father promising to take care of her he had to back that up. Raphael meanwhile polished his rapier without a word "Tough crowd." he murmured to himself. There were then a few footsteps coming down the ramp as Jack, Talim and the still in pain Cassandra joined them. The girl called Talim didn't trust Yunsung obviously, though Raphael was more concerned on where the young warrior that used the both a sword and bow had run off to.   
  
Eventually they all came to some sort of agreement. Maxi and Kilik returned to the ship as Sophitia and Talim walked up to the group "Alright we have come to an agreement. Because you have your own ship we have no problem with you following us as long as our allegiance does not falter." Raphael nodded at this understanding "Though we have different motives the destruction of the Black Wind is first priority. The sword comes second." he said. Yunsung rolled his eyes as Talim looked at him "And don't you dare try to double cross us." she said simply. Jack backed this up by placing his hand on one of his pistols. Yunsung groaned "Whatever." Sophitia looked at the two and sighed.  
  
Kyle spoke up as he looked at Sophitia "For anybody who cares I'm Kyle Strife. I have no conflict with the Azure Nightmare. The loud one in Yunsung. The patient one is Raphael Sorel. This is Seung Mina." Yunsung shot a glare at his superior both in age and skill who ignored him. Sophitia nodded at this "We should make haste. The Soul Edge is traveling to the South." Kyle nodded before he headed off. There was another voice "So I'll take it we have some company now." Yunsung recognized the voice as that of the swordsman/archer and turned to greet him "Yeah. But any friend of Talim is a friend of..." Yunsung cut himself off as he turned to see Link no longer wearing his cape and hood.   
  
Kyle and Mina noticed this as well and lightly raised an eyebrow, Raphael brought a hand to his chin "Interesting." he said simply, intrigued. As Link walked down the plank toward Yunsung he jumped back like a cat from an angry dog, Link was confused. Yunsung spoke "What the heck are you?" he asked simply. Link realized what Yunsung was gawking at and raised a hand to hold the place between his eyes "I'm not from around here alright lets drop the subject." he said before he stepped back on the ship obviously irritated that he would be questioned after saving his life. Kyle shrugged accepting this.  
  
Yunsung looked at Talim trying to ask her the same question, Talim breathed before speaking "I don't want to strain your mind with thoughts so lets just say he is a victim of the Evil Seed alright." Talim then stepped away. Yunsung scratched his head as he got this very angry response "Uh sorry." he said not knowing that he had hit a soft spot. Sophitia looked at Kyle and spoke "We'll be heading for the Suez Canal soon. Bring your ship around here and we'll move onward. You have an hour." she said before stepping onto the boat.   
  
Yunsung was still confused as Mina looked at him "It doesn't matter Yunsung. Ask at a more appropriate time." she said before she and Kyle started to walk off. Raphael chuckled and walked as well "Interesting fellow." he said on Link as he walked. Yunsung huffed and followed them back to the ship entrusted to them, the Nightwraith. Essentially it was a ship made for speed rather than combat and was perfect for a small group to use even though Kyle was the only one who knew anything about sailing. Of course he himself was only a novice at it, maybe while they were near one another Maxi would lend them one of his people.   
  
As they walked Mina looked to the south and breathed knowing the Soul Edge was that way. The blurry vision from underwater watched her, unseen due to the fact it was not together, easily able to sense they sought the source it was broken from. Without another thought it moved from underwater, a simple orb from the shadows to the darkness of the deep. However as it moved several fragments of what could have been anything between stone and bone came toward it gathering around it making a shape of a human. And it walked on its skeletal feet digging into the sand of the ocean floor.   
  
While the others took their time to gather their groups and moved slowly toward the Suez Canal unknowing to the creature watching them, Ivy had moved at least a day ahead of them with the help powerful wind from the North as well as the power of the Lizardmen's labor below decks. Just over a week later the Darkthorne would come to a billowing storm that was gathering in the Arabian Sea, obviously the power of either the Soul Edge or an example of Anubis's power to manipulate the darkness and shadows. The Darkthorne moved up to the Nemesis effortlessly, luckily her helmsman as well as main squad leader, Razorback was spared from death and they had picked up a number of the stragglers that swam from the Defenders.   
  
As the Darkthorne came alongside the much large Nemesis part of the hull opened and a small walkway was extended to the edge of the ship. Ivy breathed as she pulled her cloak around her shoulders a little bothered by the blowing wind, her servant who was to follow however seemed to be intrigued by it for some reason. She didn't bother asking as she walked on aboard, her servant followed her followed by Razorback. The black and red Lizardman glared at the Uruk-hai on the ship lightly snapping at them to get under their skin, unlike the others he had been presented with a rather durable Gladius and shield. Ivy lightly rolled her eyes as her captain continued "Come young one." she said to the trailing boy, he obeyed.  
  
It seemed that a unit of the Black Wind's strike forces had arrived from the edge of the southern continent, unlike the expendable orcs and Uruk-hai as they were strictly desired to fight. They were made up of three groups, including Renzor's Lizardmen. One group, originally Astaroth's followers was the violent group of empowered humans known only as Berserkers, all of them very powerful though not nearly as lethal as Astaroth himself but easily stronger than any normal man. They had great loyalty to their leader even to the point of also using giant axes and clubs.  
  
Nightmare's Destroyers were also of human variety, barring the mark of Soul Edge's eye on their forehead, all of them were knights of Europe who were cast away taken in by Nightmare. All of them were strengthened by Soul Edge however they were completely under Soul Edge's control after they practically handed over their soul for a chance at revenge upon those that exiled them into the Middle East. They were some of the Black Wind's best forces, and under the Soul Edge and Blades influence they were made to be efficient killing machines.   
  
Though at this point the ten of each they had brought were only acting out defense on the Nemesis, the others back on the island were standing guard. If she had taken a few with her she might have had better luck in Istanbul. The only problem with them being humans is that they had mental flaws that had yet to be ironed out. Of course Renzor's people were powerful as well and they were brought up to fight as well. The only difference is they had a common sense of danger and knew when to back out.  
  
Razorback looked up as they came to the stairway that would lead up to the deck, Renzor stood there with his sword slowly trimming his claws. Razorback grunted something incoherent to him, Renzor nodded. Ivy had heard it before apparently her captain's salute to his leader. Ivy breathed harshly knowing that now she had to face both the Azure Nightmare and De Leon with news of her failure. She sighed before stepping forward followed closely by her servant, he seemed to be ready to defend his mistress should her father were to start comparing her to himself.  
  
Isabella Valentine stepped from below decks finding that a number of the Destroyers were on deck, many of them wore fragmented armor only their captain possessed a full suit of armor. Though he wasn't present he was like Nightmare's right hand when he was present with the group. The destroyers like their leader wielded long bladed swords, each either possessed a Flamberge or Great Blade a pair of mass produced blades. Ivy then looked up toward the helm spying Nightmare standing there, the blond hair blowing in the wind was unmistakable. She breathed before stepping forward down the deck ignoring a few of the stares she received from them, her servant simply narrowed his eyes back at them.  
  
Ivy stepped up the stairs to the helm where Nightmare stood his with back to the back of the commanders cabin. The Soul Edge was nowhere to be seen obviously left in the next room generating the storms, Ivy stepped up the last stairs seeing that Cervantes was there as well Turmoil jammed into it hilt the Soul Blade was also present. Turmoil was his newest version of the pistol hilted blade, armed with a more powerful trigger at the hilt. The ever intimidating Anubis was there as well holding the gold and black eight foot spear known as Longinus, apparently named after the roman soldier who pierced Christ's side with his spear 1500 years ago.   
  
Nightmare turned slowly from Anubis who had brought Ivy's failure to his attention and looked at her "Anubis tells me that Sophitia of Athens was involved in your attempts." Cervantes turned at once to look at her his immortal eyes carrying an accusing glint in them, however he also felt the Soul Blade angry at hearing that name. Ivy's servant crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the railing. Ivy spoke up annoyance in her voice "It was chaos in that city. Seems the 'White Wind' as they call themselves were there already trying to get the fragment. Then the Defenders appeared, I retreated." she sighed. Nightmare chuckled "White Wind. Thats just like Sophitia." he said reminiscing.  
  
Anubis shook his head "They say that cutting one's loses gives at least some success to a mission. It could have been worse." he said in his dark voice. Cervantes looked back at the demon before speaking "Do you have an excuse? I don't see how hard it would be to track down and steal the fragment." Ivy glared at him "For you information it was already being fought over and fell into the clash and I wasn't about to rush in blindly like you would!" she shouted. Cervantes growled at her disrespect, Anubis spoke "Do you at least know who claimed the shard?" he asked.   
  
Ivy crossed her arms over her abdomen "I don't have a name or a face. But he somehow managed to surpress the shard from even tempting him. It was as if he had some sort of a mental barrier around himself. He seemed to be with the Athenian's group." Nightmare brought one hand to his chin as he heard this "Interesting." he said. Anubis pushed himself off the wall "I feel mortals approaching." he said simply before vanishing. Ivy watched Anubis leave before she looked at them "There was absolutely nothing I could do to get it away from a group of over twenty." she said referring to the White Wind and the Defenders.   
  
Cervantes was about to speak when the servant spoke "Its true. After losing both of the guard ships staying longer would have placed the Darkthorne in great danger as well." Cervantes glared at the boy before him who stood at around five feet and a quarter "I would cut off your head child if you were bold enough to reveal it." he said referring to his hood. Nightmare glared at both of them "That is enough. The boy brings up a point. Just because they have it now doesn't mean we cannot claim it later." Ivy looked at the boy and motioned for him to leave, he did so walking away.   
  
Cervantes knowing that he had no place to argue stepped away from the helm walking down the stairs standing against the reinforced mast. He looked to his right as he heard a pair of wings fold before and impact was heard, Diablos stood there. Probably the only member of the entire force that Cervantes didn't plan on killing outright aside from his daughter. Diablos looked up at the helm as Nightmare placed his arms around Ivy's abdomen bringing a blush to her face, Cervantes growled "He isn't worthy to touch my blood." he snarled.   
  
Nightmare hugged Ivy's back to his chest, Ivy blushed lightly as he did this a few strands of his dark blond hair fell over her shoulders. He spoke softly into her ear "Don't allow the old man's words to discourage you darling. It is only a matter of time before he will taste defeat again. Immortal or not, nothing lasts forever." Ivy smiled evilly at this. She wondered if Nightmare was like this before he acquired Soul Edge, either way the fact that he despised Cervantes as much as she did entertained her. Nightmare mentally smirked, though he and Ivy lacked a very deep relationship seeing Cervantes blood boil at the sight of them was too hilarious to give up.   
  
Cervantes turned his glare from Nightmare and his daughter snarling, first that knight had robbed him of his sword, had made the Soul Edge favor him, allowed it to be damaged and now he was constantly flirting on his daughter. He glared across the deck toward Ivy's servant apparently her soul source of inspiration to the battle. He carefully removed his cloak and hood his golden amber hair being revealed half way down his back tied near his neck. His bright blue eyes gazed over the ocean as he dropped his cloak to the ground, he wielded a pair of short bladed katanas. One was worn on his back and the other on his hip, much like the woman who killed him had.   
  
Diablos huffed lightly the dark energy able to be felt around him "Children are such pest aren't they especially when they just have to be fighting along side you." he said outright. Cervantes de Leon looked at the demon "That child is only her slave. He is not part of us and if he makes a wrong move I will not hesitate to cut him down." Diablos looked at him "Your too anxious to be powerful Cervantes. Wait for the master of the Soul Edge to fall before you attempt to claim it. As long as he lives it has no other host or master." he said. Cervantes nodded "...but still he and my daughter are a disgusting sight." he growled.  
  
Before they could continue there was suddenly the sound of a cannon over the distance before a large ball of metal smashed into the large oak mast of the Nemesis, however it feel harmlessly to the deck. Nightmare looked up removing his arms from Ivy's waist, Nightmare looked around the storm had gone down into only a blanket of clouds. Cervantes looked up over the distance only now sensing the presence of mortal souls, Anubis had been correct "All crews to their stations!" he shouted as he stepped away from Diablos who flexed his wings and flew up to the crow's nest to watch.   
  
Several ships could be seen off in the distance approaching, Cervantes looked closer before sneering "The French Navy? Are they trying to insult us?" he grunted as he turned. Nightmare and Ivy walked down from the helm as the anchors were pulled up, they all gathered at the starboard side looking over. Ivy's servant looked at her "You think they intend on sinking us?" he asked monotony, Ivy smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder "I wouldn't worry about it Drake. I doubt they know what they are doing." she assured him as around seven boats came into view all of them gunships.   
  
Astaroth stepped out onto the deck followed by four of his Berserkers all of them clad in bluish armor two of them wielded Battle Axes while the other two carried War Hammers. Astaroth meanwhile wielded the Kulutues. Renzor stepped up on deck holding the Xi Sword and Game Shield in his grip, a number of his own kind followed him. The two elves Renzo and Karenna also appeared at the helm "Hurph. Human military. This should be entertaining." Karenna chuckled.  
  
A voice called out to the Nemesis a French accent in their voice obviously the commodore of the fleet "Attention Black Wind!" it called out. They repeated this in Spanish, French and German before Nightmare called out "Silence!" he shouted out over the waves his deep voice taking effect. The commodore continued to speak as the fleet drew closer pulling to the side their multiple cannons showing all of them aimed at the Nemesis. Cervantes spoke with a chuckle "Do they expect us to be afraid?" he asked as the leader spoke again "You will surrender the Soul Edge and yourselves! We don't want any blood spilled!" there was silence.   
  
The Commodore stood on the side of the ship, the Darkthorne and the Nemesis were alone obviously the other ships had taken refuge near the rocks or smaller islands. One of the sailors walked up to him "We should retreat. It is not wise to attack them at sea not with the power they possess." the commodore looked at him "Don't be a fool. That sword is a weapon but at sea it is only another blade. I don't know what manner of beings some of them are but I'm betting they can't go without air." suddenly there was a laugh from the Nemesis, the mocking laugh he had heard before. He pulled up a spy glass and focused.  
  
He gasped as he saw him Cervantes de Leon standing there along side Nightmare who truly looked exactly like the leader of brigates from Germany. "So it is true. All ships prepare to fire!" he shouted the six ships around the flag ship prepared. Nightmare watched from where he stood as he gripped the Soul Edge and chuckled looking at the female elven as she approached. Ivy locked gazes with Karenna for a few seconds before looking toward the master of 'white magic' behind her. Renzo looked at Nightmare as he chuckled "Cannonfire?" he asked, Nightmare nodded. Renzo nodded as he closed his eyes concentrating. Cervantes chuckled as he shouted for the Nemesis to prepare an attack.  
  
"FIRE!" was heard over the waves and multiple explosions of gunpowder was heard, and they sailed over the water a number of them not even making it. Renzo had more than enough time to gather himself and thrust up his hands, the cannonballs fell into the water as they made contact with some sort of invisible protective field before them. Several were also taken down by a powerful force that pushed several to stop, more of Anubis's doing. The Nemesis then moved toward the fleet. The commodore was shocked by this as the mate looked at him "I told you they were demons!" he shouted as the mammoth ship moved toward the fleet.  
  
Drake turned and walked with his mistress as they moved from the deck as Cervantes and Nightmare brought up their weapons. If the enemy was foolish enough to actually board the Nemesis they would allow Astaroth and Renzor to have their fun. It was time to check on the Death Merchant's servant anyway. For any ships passing through the area they would have only seen one thing, whatever was left behind of the French Navy's interceptor force.  
  
Next Chapter: Looking on the Past  
  
After traveling down the Suez Canal and arriving in the Red Sea Link approaches Kyle and asks him exactly why he is traveling with them. He explains exactly why he is out to destroy Cervantes. Talim also continues to think over her own thoughts. Before they can truly enjoy this peace an odd creature appears. But what is this creature and why does it seek the shards?  
  
OOC: If you interested in the status of the original characters and the guest characters go to the following site which will be updated regularly as more information is revealed on them: 


	16. Voyage on the Red Sea

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Author's Note: Okay to answer questions let me just start by stating that Necrid, Charade, Edgemaster, Spawn and Heihachi already have set places in this story. You can stop requesting for who should appear now. Also concerning Spawn because I am so sorely disappointed in his design I will base him off what I have been before in the movies and comics. And if anybody has a full index of his powers please E-mail them to me.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Voyage on the Red Sea  
  
It wasn't but around three days later that both ships of the alliance were traveling down the Red Sea. The trip through the Suez Canal went very well as they managed to pick up a decent amount of wind from the North, Raphael was beginning to think that perhaps Talim's prayers to the Wind Deity were not as false as he expected. Rather by faith or luck was obvious that Talim was a factor of their fair travel so far, but he had noticed the their youngest member seems melancholy for some odd reason ever since they left Istanbul, she didn't say but they all suspected something was wrong.   
  
Now about a quarter of the way through the Red Sea they were getting good pace and they had plenty of supplies to last them till they reached India and the Harbor of Souls. There they would meet two others that would help them and at this rate they were ahead of their estimation. Stephan, having much more experience at sea going that Kyle had decided to go with the Four Blades group and was doing an excellent job onboard their ship although Strife continued to call the shots. And it was becoming constant for messages to be delivered between the two ships.   
  
The ship that was being piloted by Kyle's group was known as the Nightwraith. As before it was made for both speed and maneuverability but it was not designed to get involved in a fire fight. It was about three fifths the size of the Eternal Wind and seemed to be given more of a stylish shape to it. It was a swift, beautiful, and distinctive red ship known more as a private vessel belonging to the Seung Dojo, used to transport students to tournaments taking place in Korea and China. Its bowsprit resembled the head and beak of a bird, and the sail closely resembled a pair of wings. Apparently a joint venture between Korea and China it was one of the faster ships in existence, lent to them under the order of Mina's father. Though Kyle had to go through alot to convince him. (Around the size of an average Yacht)  
  
The ride seemed to be going smoothly as they sailed over the waters of the Red Sea. Naoyuki, a young man of Japanese and Korean decent (also a student from the Dojo) with more experiance in piloting the Nightwraith stood at the wheel while the others were around. Link and Talim had boarded the Nightwraith that morning seeing as how they needed training room on deck, nobody complained as Link wanted to know more about them, Talim wanted her space and Cassandra was just getting her arm back under her control. Both ships had also been tied together with a long rope to avoid them getting separated, the Eternal Wind had more of an ability to pull other ships anyway.  
  
At this point things were going rather well the ships were sailing not to far from one another only about fifty yards with the Eternal Wind trailing behind. Raphael sat on the back of the ship boredly wondering what was happening back in his homeland. Yunsung stood at the stairs that lead to the helm idly watching Talim who stood at the port side railing just watching the water ripple. Their elven eared guest meanwhile stood at the front of the boat looking to the South, their apparent leader meanwhile sat just shy of him his eyes closed as he thought over what he was doing. Seung Mina and Stephan meanwhile was below checking the supplies.  
  
Yunsung looked at Link and Kyle each of them seemed to have so much ambition of what they were doing than any of the others. Neither of them had spoken much at all since leaving Istanbul, Yunsung huffed lightly not caring. However Talim's depression was beginning to get to him he didn't know what had been eating at her but it was obviously something that was her business as he had asked only to be told off. Ryo leaned lightly on the wheel "You should try talking to her again. I know you have had your brushes but seriously I don't know how much longer I can look at her like that." he said. Yunsung sighed, Ryo was about a year older than him and seemed to know alot more on people than himself "I'll try..." he said cutting off.   
  
Link had noticed Kyle sitting there for quite some time and was beginning to wonder, Sophitia had told him and Talim about what he said about not being after the sword. He had heard these lines before, he was clearly no patriot, the only other reason he could possibly be traveling was to confront one of the members of the Black Wind. That would explain why he confronted that woman in Istanbul. Link then noticed that Kyle was looking at him, he chuckled "Hm. Your truly not from this realm are you?" Link raised an eyebrow "How did you-?" he started only to be cut off "I guessed it from the start. Nobody struck by the evil seed can remain so human in both body and soul." Link lightly huffed at this.  
  
Kyle lightly stretched as he crossed his "You've no need to worry. I'll keep your secret. It will probably help us avoid any more of Yunsung's idiotic questions." he said looking away. Link shrugged his shoulders before looking at him "They can believe what Talim told them. The others know the full story." Kyle scoffed "I've no interest in your past. I only live in my own moment." he said coldly. Link crossed his arms deciding that this was as good a time as any "Well if you won't listen, why not talk?" he asked.   
  
Kyle Strife turned looking up at him with his emerald eyes his serious nature remaining constant "Say what?" he asked confused. Link looked at him, still turned toward the ocean "Tell me your story. Why do you seek the Soul Edge?" there was a few seconds of silence before Kyle sighed. He stood to his feet his right hand clutching into a fist as he reflected "I don't seek either of the swords. Just their one time owner, the Immortal Pirate that devours souls." Link nodded showing he was listening.   
  
"Ten years ago that bastard attacked my clan's village and murdered several of them including my parents. Seven years ago the Evil Seed went off and drove the rest of them insane, I had no choice but to defend myself. While I survived my brother was murdered by the blades of our own. I am the last of that order, I live because I encountered the swords directly. I will not rest until that man and his blade ceases to exist." Kyle said all of this with a hateful resolve in his voice, he was clearly leaving no room for forgiveness and he was surely not going to let another take his target's life "Only Mina knows. The others wouldn't understand."  
  
Link nodded as he spoke looking at the fellow swordsman "Believe me I do. I never knew my parents yet I knew the man was responsible for their death and I've already taken that piece of revenge. Though I can't imagine the pain of knowing your parents and then losing them." Kyle nodded claiming that he had gotten over the depression, he just wanted justice. Link spoke once again "I can understand that. Just don't allow vengeance to consume you. Don't go out seeking another to blame for your misfortune." Kyle nodded to this before he chuckled "Mina's father gave me enough speeches on that. You needn't worry about my well being or my cause. Just remember that unless he attacks you and you must fight he is mine." he said before stepping away.   
  
Link watched as the mysterious Kyle Strife walked away vanishing down the stairs into the lower decks, truly he was a man of great skill. Link shook his head before looking back over the ocean wondering if he'd ever see his own again. Talim had watched all of this and figured that those two had more in common than she thought, she sighed as she hung back over the railing her mind drifting. She honestly didn't know what to think sure everybody made mistakes but everything about that young boy that boarded the Darkthorne matched up too well. Even though it had been over a year since she last saw him she couldn't believe that he would ever join the Black Wind.   
  
Talim's hands moved to be placed at her temples unable to continue thinking about this. Her mind screamed at her that she did not see what she thought she saw. 'It was just a coincidence Talim! I has to be a coincidence!' she shook her head before she sank down her back against the railing as she sat there. "Are you alright?" a voice came, she looked up slowly seeing Yunsung and lightly sighed "No." she admitted. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked showing that he had no interest in continuing a rivalry. Talim shook her head "I just really need time to think." Yunsung nodded before sitting down next to her.   
  
Talim looked at him lightly sighing "Wanna change the subject?" she asked. Yunsung nodded "Gladly. Can you tell me exactly what the deal is with your friend?" he asked. Talim looked at Link unsure if his sensitive ears could pick them up "He has had alot happen to him. He is not from around here as you might have guessed." Yunsung nodded at this looking at him "Evil Seed or not I can tell that much from his cloths." he said. Talim nodded smiling slightly, of course Raphael and the others from the west must have found their attire strange.  
  
Yunsung continued to talk to her eventually coming back to Link's ears "Do they serve any kind of purpose? I mean are they just like that or can he like hear us from where...he is..." he said his voice dropping into a whisper. Talim giggled at this before shrugging "I don't know. He really hasn't brought much up on himself and it isn't like he has heard through our ears." Yunsung nodded. He then smiled "And considering what I've seen of him it isn't likely he'd be cooperative in a hearing test or something." Talim's left hand moved to her mouth stiffening a giggle. Link meanwhile unseen rolled his eyes as he turned his attention from the two of them.   
  
Yunsung brought a hand to his chin looking at her "What is his story exactly? I mean he seems very defensive of where he came from?" Talim was about to start speaking but remembered just how hard it was for Link to get his story out to the others. It was unlikely he'd want these unlikely allies to know of his past. While it was obvious the White Wind wouldn't find any difference, him simply not being exactly human might cause any trust they have toward him to waver. They didn't need a rupture in this allegiance, they might even accuse such a story as being an excuse as some demons were known to take humanoid forms.   
  
Talim shook her head at Yunsung "He has been through alot. He doesn't like his past to be thrown out, it isn't my place to answer you. Sorry." Yunsung looked back to Link able to see that he wasn't exactly the most positive man around "Its no problem. I don't think he trusts us quite yet." Talim nodded. Yunsung decided to change the subject off of Soul Edge and their journey completely and they just started reflecting. Eventually Talim's concerns about the young man had been forgotten.  
  
Back on the Eternal Wind Maxi stood at the helm while Cassandra stood at the front of the ship her arm hanging at her side still in pain but she could at least lift it. Kilik and Xianghua were below decks, it wasn't her business what they were doing. She tossed the thought from her mind as she looked ahead of them through the telescope she had found admiring the clear waters of the Red Sea. Eventually her eyes came to rest on Link who came into view just as the Nightwraith was turning. His sword and shield was at his side and he seemed to be just standing there, she watched his hair lightly blown by the wind, it seemed she was unable to tear her eyes from him.  
  
"Cassandra?" a voice suddenly came from behind, she quickly lowered the telescope turning to see her sister standing there. Sophitia looked at her wondering what she had been doing but decided that wasn't her business she however seemed very serious "How is your arm?" she asked. Cassandra brought her arm up and down wincing lightly but nodded "It will be okay." she said wondering why her sister was being so deep. Sophitia nodded before she stepped forward looking over the waters "Don't you feel that?" she asked. Cassandra was confused "What?" she asked displaying this. Sophitia looked back "The Soul Edge...part of it is near." she said hauntingly.   
  
Back on the Nightwraith Yunsung and Talim were still talking at this point "But seriously why did you come to the village six months ago?" she asked. Yunsung shrugged "At that point I was still on my own searching, I felt some sort of energy from that area. It was too pure to be Soul Edge though. Sorry I got carried away I guess." Talim giggled lightly bringing up one of her elbow blades "You were the one who ran remember. I don't think Alun liked you." she said with a smile referring to her sparrow that she had sent home knowing that he would find his way.   
  
It had turned out that Kyle also had a pet bird, a beautiful hawk called Silverbolt. It had been kept in a cage below decks while they were in Istanbul, just the day before she had seen him send it off from onboard the Eternal Wind. It was a rather large hawk and its name fit it rather well, as its wings were such a bright shade of gray it appeared to be a luster of silver. It was likely that Kyle just wanted to send it out to feed. Being that she had an adoration of birds she had always wanted to see a hawk up close but had never gotten the chance. She however wouldn't have the chance to think on this longer.   
  
Suddenly Talim's sixth sense of the Soul Edge shot up as she felt it, she quickly jumped to her feet feeling it out. Link looked at her as she got up and dashed to the other side of the ship scanning the water, Link looked at her "Whats going on?" Yunsung ran up asking. "Soul Edge. I feel it again!" she shouted. Knowing that feeling from the shard Link had possessed before he handed it over to Sophitia knowing that she would be a better guard to them. Talim continued to scan the waters before she made action "There! Look!" she shouted pointing toward the water.   
  
There was an odd shadow moving in the water that their ship floated upon, while Talim and Yunsung had no clue of what to make of it Link was narrowing his eyes. His ears perked up as there was a distinct thumping in the energy, was that a pulse? Suddenly it moved coming up fast it broke through the water "Back off!" Yunsung shouted. Talim and Link both fell back on the Korean's order as they saw something very bizarre rise up from the water levitating almost. Link narrowed his eyes as he now knew what he was sensing "Soul Edge." he growled knowing that aura by now.  
  
The water slowly drained over it going around its many cracks and canals in its round organic body. It pulsed and contracted like that a heart large veins in its body being pushed out as it did so, it was as if a man's body had been transformed into this creature. A single eye opened as it floated toward the ship, it was large and with an amber pupil was a menacing sight. It was surrounded by what appeared to be several rocks or possibly bone it couldn't be told however in several portions of its body something else could be felt, pieces of the Soul Blade.   
  
Raphael watched from where he sat as the odd creature floated forward to land on the deck before his three companions. It levitated over the deck as all of the pieces fell to the deck landing with a thumping sound of wood being impacted by the unholy substance of the pieces. Suddenly it levitated against spinning and all the fragments followed joining into it, all of them fell into position and suddenly it strung to life, four limbs shot outwards. Everybody stepped back as it then fell its weight smashing into the deck rocking the ship. It then looked up, there was a head but it was just made out to look human, in the center protected by the multiple fragments of bone was the strange creature.  
  
It looked at those before them as Raphael stepped down from the rear of the ship drawing Flambert taking a long look at the creature as it seemed to adjust itself more of the pieces falling into place eventually what appeared to be hands appeared, each finger tipped with a claw. Yunsung stepped back lightly "What is this thing?" he gulped. Talim looked at it deeply in its eye it glanced around mindlessly the presence from the shards obvious, she spoke as she pin pointed them "It has six shards with it! There is one of the Soul Edge in its body. And five of the Soul Blade. Two in its legs, two in its arms and one in its head!"   
  
Raphael looked at the young priestess not believing it "You mean to tell me that this sin against nature is made out of six shards?!" Talim nodded as she brought up her elbow blades in the event that it was truly an enemy. The eye moved around within the plated body of bone looking over them, it beat again as it looked back toward the Eternal Wind feeling more missing parts of itself. Its eye then turned to Link scanning over his body slowly. Was it watching him or was it searching out the shards?  
  
The creature had no other thoughts only to consume the other shards and return to its former glory. Its looked at the first it saw the odd one with long ears, smelling the scent of the shards upon his hands. It gave a low breathing sound, almost like a hiss as it looked at them bringing up one of its clawed hands to stiffen into a claw, the segments of bone rubbing together. They all seemed to back off as the monsters bladed fingertips seemed to extend to a point threatening to attack. Only one thought went through its mind, to gather the pieces of its shattered source from them and keep them safe until it could rejoin with the blades that it came from.  
  
The monster suddenly made a movement and dashed forward its body moving faster than they expected. Yunsung grabbed Talim by the arm pulling her sharply as the monster's claws came down just missing her. Raphael got ready with his rapier "I don't think this think intends to discuss its problem with us." Talim straightened up as she took her stance, Yunsung followed up with his sword. Link meanwhile growled as this monster as it moved to stand between him and his sword and shield. And the Master Sword had been left behind on the Eternal Wind in Sophitia's care.  
  
Talim spoke up suddenly as she noticed Link's hesitation "Link! Do you remember those rumors that we heard back in India?! About the creature with the eye of Soul Edge?!" she shouted. Link's eyes blinked then narrowed at the monster as he remembered exactly what it was. Raphael chuckled holding up Flambert "So this is the infamous Charade. I'm be honest I am not impressed." the monster's eyes didn't show any change as it brought up its claws ready to use them taking his aim at the elven and the young girl.  
  
Next Chapter: Soul Edge's Charade  
  
The Four Blades and the White Wind go up against the first creature created from a fragment of Soul Edge. Composed only of raw flesh, blood and bone it proves itself extremely powerful and with only it's claws defeats two of the Nightwraith's better warriors. Only after does it set its sights toward the Soul Fragments onboard the Eternal Wind with only the wish to kill to collect in its mind.  
  
Also the Profiles for Anubis and Diablos have been added to my site. If I can find proper images next will be Renzo and Karenna. Drake and Kyle have also been updated. The site is of course: http://neo-stars.tripod.com/SCII_OC_PROFILES.htm 


	17. Soul Edge’s Charade

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
WANTED: Information on Spawn. Information on his powers. I don't know much but I have seen the movie. I'd like deeper information if anybody can contribute. As I am a little disappointed with NAMCO's version of him.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Sixteen: Soul Edge's Charade  
  
Cassandra found herself gapping in amazment at the creature that challenged those on board the Nightwraith. The telescope lightly shook in her hands she wasn't exactly sure what to make of it but knew that this had to be the creature that the Defenders called Charade. A creature that had grown as it collected the bones of its victims to make itself a more powerful body. The eye was just as Sophitia described it, even at this distance it was more ominous than the voices of the Gods. She felt herself tenseing up as it attacked Talim just barely missing her it was obvious that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.   
  
It hadn't taken long for the others to notice and prepare themselves hoping that they would be able to catch up but the fact that the Nightwraith was easily faster than the Eternal Wind made it only a hope. Kilik stood there the Kali Yuga held up straight with one end on the deck, he seemed to be a little disturbed. Jack looked at him as he checked his weapons hoping he'd be able to hit the monster once they got in range "Something on your mind?" he asked. Kilik looked at their gunner as he asked this "It is amazing to think that such a pure evil could come from the heart of just one man who allowed the shard to possess him. Its aura is almost as vial as Nightmare's." he pointed out.   
  
Jack Kutter nodded as he brushed a strand of his reddish brown hair back getting it out of his vision bringing up his rifle "Well the human mind has never been a pure thing. It is easily corrupted unless one's soul can hold off against such temptations. One of Michael's little sayings." he said as he stepped toward the front of the ship. "Interesting." Kilik murmured looked back at the tall figure that was Maxi's first mate from the village. He held the large harpoon like spear in his hands it was obvious that he was concerned about Stephan who was onboard the Nightwraith. Everybody got prepared.  
  
The monster released not a sound as he rushed randomly at the members of the group showing no style in his movements just flat out rage. It moved running up the short stairway leading to the helm. Naoyuki braced himself as he tried to secure the ship. Charade jumped toward the Korean but was suddenly sent off coarse to fly over the helm landing on the rear deck. Naoyuki breathed as he looked up seeing Yunsung standing there recovering from a stance that involved a jumping strike. "Thanks Yunsung. I owe you one." he breathed out, his own style revolved around throwing and such he didn't figure that he'd be able to do much to this creature.   
  
Yunsung nodded before he moved at the fallen creature raising the White Storm up giving out a shout as he brought it down. The eye turned in the center of Charade's form glareing at him and suddenly one of its claws flew up clashing with the sword sending off a few sparks. It then brought back it's other arm and swung, Yunsung brought up his sword just in time to block it placeing his other hand on it's dull side. Least second Charade formed his claws into a fist to send Yunsung sailing over the deck to crash into the deck. He breathed as he tried to get up but found something had been dislocated in his knee "Damn it!" he growled.   
  
Charade crossed his arms as it watched Yunsung's body crash in to the center of the deck just shy of Talim who was waiting for an opening. Raphael had been doing the same before Naoyuki spoke up "Raphael! Get the sails down!" Raphael turned to look at him "What are you talking about?!" he shouted back over the wind. Naoyuki leaned forward gripping his own sword which was similar to Yunsung's but wasn't one of the Seung Family Herlomes "Just do it! I'm going to run us aground! Give us some room to kill this thing!" he shouted.  
  
It wasn't exactly Raphael's style to be following orders without at least having a say in it, he growled "Nothing is easy anymore." he murmured before he swipped his rapier across the side rails slicing one of the ropes which broke, part of the sails fell out of place. He quickly grabbed it and began pulling, Stephan (who had been below) joined from the other side. Charade meanwhile glared at Naoyuki before rushing him swinging it's claws, he quickly ducked right in time and jumped away from the helm getting on deck.   
  
Talim winced as Naoyuki landed hard on the deck rolling as he made impact, the Nightwraith wasn't suitable for this. Their enemy was far to swift to keep up with and with all this ground to cover there was little she could do. "Talim!" she heard from the corner and looked to see Stephan shouting at her as he pulled the other rope "Your the lightest get up there and tie the sails up!" he shouted. Talim nodded as he darted to the mast, its unique build lead straight up to where she could tie them. Charade looked to see this and saw the two targets completely open. It jumped at them its claws extending even more as it rushed right at Stephan.   
  
Charade never managed to dig his claws in as there was a sudden force smashing into him in time with a metallic sound. Stephan looked up as Charade fell away to see Link standing across the deck holding up his arm, he had hurled his sheild to catch the monster off guard. Charade got up the single eyes in its abdomen glowing red as it looked at Link who held his sword ready for the creature's wrath. Link looked up again as he noticed the ship get back on balence, he looked to see Kyle grabbing the wheel Mina meanwhile was dragging Yunsung away from the open much to his dismay. Kyle looked to the shore and then to Link as if to ask if he could hold out.  
  
Link nodded to Kyle as he turned his glare to the monster bringing up the sword his knuckles cracking as he gripped it. Charade pulsed the obscene beating noise intimidating to even him despite all he had seen, he placed on foot back and held his sword ready "You...You come from those fragments of the blades." he swipped the athenian made sword through the air "Then I guess I won't have to wait till Nightmare after all!" he shouted, the monster who didn't seem to respond. Talim looked down at Link as he allowed his own emotions to break ahead of him.   
  
Charade finally responded by bringing its hand into fists the bright red energy that held its pieces together glowing before his hands snapped back out an odd scent was in the air, almost intoxicating. Link tensed up as Charade moved hard rushing his slashing hard at the sword knocking it to the side though Link fought to hold his control. The monster continued to remain silent as it continued to make its slashes, the only sounds were those of the air passing over the small groves of its armored exoskeleton.   
  
Talim looked down as she tied the knot on the first end of the mast, the wing shaped sails were odd but she had figured it out quick enough. Charade's claws passed right over Link as he rolled forward grunting as he did so. He looked at Stephan as he dropped his rope as Talim had secured his end of the sails Link looked at him and pointed to Kyle ordering him to back off. Stephan nodded and moved away leaving Link to hold Charade off from Raphael who was still keeping the sails held up. Talim moved across the walkway of the mast to tie the other sail down knowing this would leave them at the mercy of the current.  
  
Raphael waited until Talim shouted out "Got it!" he then turned loose and jumped away about five seconds before Link was backed into that area. Link was being beaten back, this monster's style kept changing and he couldn't memorize what the hell it was doing. Kyle looked up as he saw Talim had finished her work "Everybody hold on!" he shouted before he turned the wheel sharply to the left heading right for a pretty plain looking beach that was on a small piece of land in the middle of the sea. The ship turned quickly and Talim grabbed the digging her elbow blades in for support, the ship turned making it's starboard side becomeing visible to the Eternal Wind.  
  
Jack stood on the bow of the ship holding his rifle up trying to get a steady aim on Charade who was advancing on Link as the ship turned. Sophitia breathed as she gripped the Omega Sword standing by Maxi holding one of the Soul Blade fragments hopeing to get the things attention. Cassandra looked at Jack as her concern for Link grew "What are you waiting for? Shoot it!" she shouted at him. Jack didn't look to her but simply spoke "There is no way to tell just how dense that thing is, if I hit the center it could pass through if I can even make it count." he said as he held the enhanced rifles. Cassandra huffed as she continued to watch.   
  
Link half yelped in pain as his back smashed into the port side railing, Charade advanced its clawed feet holding it steady on the turning ship. Link waited as the monster came toward him before he suddenly moved forward swinging down hard with Rothion's sword. His eyes went wide as Charade's claw shot up to grip the blade squeezing it hard before pulling it away hard sending it clattering across the deck. "Shit." Link growled as he moved trying to get around the monster again however Charade was ready. It reached out its arm clothslineing the elf before grabbing him by the neck and hoisting him up.   
  
Charade held Link up looking deep at his eyes going much deeper than his gaze, looking right into his mind or more specifically his combat style. Link shouted as he brought back his foot and smashed it into the creatures eye, it pulsed loudly as it dropped him hard and then moved. Link had turned quickly to move away but his eyes went wide as he felt the creature's claws going at least half an inch into his back. Blood ran down his back as he felt himself smash into the deck chest first. He could hear Talim's shouts as another set of footsteps ran up, he looked to see Naoyuki rush up and swing his sword however it only took Charade a few seconds to parry and send him over the deck with a single kick to the side.  
  
Link breathed as he felt his senses begin to blur his eyes only able to pick up the sillouettes of the others as they braced themselves. He also felt his body become numb, he then realized what that stronge smell was earlier. It was the same as the stunning potion that the palace guards used on their arrows, he hardly had the energy to attempt pushing himself up. He felt lucky that the sheath had kept the claws from his spine else he'd be useless to them, his own pride seemed shattered as he knew his emotions were getting the better of him once again. He then noticed the heavy footsteps as Charade picked him up by his neck before predictably tossing him overboard.   
  
Link barely felt himself hit the water as he continued to fight the jaws of unconsciousness he felt that he shouldn't have put stock in the fact that the fragments would be weak. Kyle shouted out for Link to hold on just as they ran aground in shallow ground, Charade looked up as suddenly somebody rushed it. "Just die!" Raphael shouted right before making a swift slice with his rapier which cleaved right through the monster's left arm severing it from its body he then brought his sword back to stab the eye and hopefully kill it. But Charade was the first to move shooting its arm out, the blade passing between its index and middle claw before it caught Flambert at the hilt.   
  
Raphael was stunned. He had been stopped so swiftly, how did this monster know he was going to do that. He had little time to think before he was pulled back by Mina who rushed smashing the bladeless end of Scarlet Thunder into the demon's 'head' sending it back. She then twisted hard pushing her weight up on the staff and kicked the monster hard sending it over the deck it landed with a splash, she breathed "And stay down..." she huffed out angered by the trouble it had caused them. Raphael nodded to the maiden as he stepped to the deck "I must be out of practice." he murmured.   
  
As the Eternal Wind passed by Link just a quarter of a mile from the shore Cassandra shouted out to him as he sunk below the waves. A voice spoke up "Get out of the way." Kilik ordered as he dropped his red vest-cape and ran forward jumping over the side of the deck diving into the surf. Xianghua looked over the edge as she saw this but didn't let her mind linger as she helped pull Naoyuki up from water "You alright?" he nodded before falling back against the deck groaning. Cassandra meanwhile found her nails digging into the deck as Kilik vanished under the waves.  
  
Suddenly Kilik reappeared moving his hands to rub his eyes which were stinging from the salt water. Cassandra quickly spoke "Where is he?!" Kilik spoke up quickly "I don't know! He disappeared!" he was about to continue when suddenly there was a large splash that came outward just shy of the Nightwraith. The monster appeared once again flying through the air with the several pieces of itself following it as he flew toward the Eternal Wind. Sophitia got ready bringing up the Omega Sword, Cassandra meanwhile noticed a knocking sound on the side of the ship.   
  
Moving to the edge she looked over "Link!" she shouted as she saw him hanging there with a dagger stabbed into the side of the Eternal Wind. His teeth were gritted and he was obviously in a great amount of pain with the salt water probobly biteing into his wounds. She looked back as she saw the monster retake shape and glare at her sister, Kilik had swam to join the Nightwraith on the beach and Xianghua was ready to back Sophitia up. Cassandra bit her lip as she knew that Link wouldn't be able to last as he attempted to dig the nails of his free hand into another board. He eventually was at one of the port holes where he could just get a grip.   
  
Charade rushed Sophitia as it picked up the presence of the shard in her left hand, it reached out prepared to hack off her hand and recover it. However she had other plans. Sophitia swiftly moved smashing the sheild across the demon's skullish face causing it to step back. She then brought up the blade and sliced down cutting hard through the bones of it's shoulder. It let out its first sound a scream of pain as she cut into the eye, it jumped back its right hand shooting to the side of its orbish body. Its left had returned despite Raphael's handy work but the glow hadn't returned.   
  
Sophitia swipped the Omega Sword through the air as the monster approuched them but then suddenly stopped even as she held up the fragment. The Omega Sword glowed and the pieces of the Soul Blade in its limbs and head seemed to freeze up, as if fearing her blade. Many images flashed through Charade's mind all of them involving a younger version of this woman, that sword and a great deal of pain from the Soul Blade. It suddenly roared as it broke appart once again and flew over the side of the deck into the Red Sea. Sophitia was confused but even more releaved as she felt the precense of the fragments vanish.   
  
Cassandra stretched hard eventually managing to grab hold of Link's left wrist, his grip was present but was very weak. He breathed hard as he pulled the dagger free sheathing it on his belt. Maxi rushed to her side leaning over the deck to help her pull him up, Sophitia meanwhile sheathed her sword and walked to the side to check on them. Michael took control of the helm moving to join up with the Nightwraith eventually coming to a stop on the beach. Michael and Maxi stepped away to pull up the sails as Cassandra helped Link sit up against the railing. He coughed obviously his time underwater had not been very fun.   
  
"Are you alright?" she asked concerned as his entire body seemed to be extremely tense, he breathed as he looked at his back. The salt water burned at his wounds, Hyrule's oceans had salt but didn't nearly have that amount of the Red Sea. He looked at Cassandra as she asked once again if he was alright, he responded with a weak nod before he fell back against the railing his head looking skyward. Xianghua meanwhile pulled Kilik up from the side of the ship only difference was that he still had hold of a rope. Cassandra lightly sighed in disgust as Xianghua flicked a strand of his hair back unable to believe she was acting so childish.  
  
Michael shouted to the Nightwraith as he noticed a few of them had gone onto the beach of the small piece of land "Are all of you alright?!" he shouted over the distance. Stephan appeared and he waved his hand as he flipped a thumbs up to their neightboring ship. Michael was releaved his brother was safe. Sophitia breathed as she took a seat on the stairs that lead to the helm and breathed trying to catch her breath "What evil have be brought by shattering those blades?" she murmured to herself. Jack sighed as he saw this and shouldered his rifle "I think that thing left. We should do the same." he suggested.   
  
Maxi looked at him as he gave the final pull and tied the ropes to the railing "No. I think we've seen enough action for the day. Lets check on the Nightwraith, if they feel up to it we'll move out. But we should treat the wounded before we leave the Red Sea." Maxi then looked back as he saw Link standing to his feet unbelieveably a hidden expression of pain in his face. He breathed as he looked at them he then leaned forward against the railing, obviously he was upset at himself for some reason. With this said Kilik, Xianghua and Naoyuki headed toward the Nightwraith.   
  
Cassandra looked at Link seeing the rather painful looking cuts seemed to have stopped bleeding yet his eyes were closed and the expression on his face displayed irritation. She decided to leave him alone for now it was obvious that something was on his mind. She didn't understand. Few probobly would. His sheer anger for Soul Edge had broken through him, his emotions once again were taking grip upon his soul. He closed his eyes. Remembering why they sent him to this world. He breathed softly as he looked at the sun about three hours from setting figureing that he would never be able to get used to seeing it. He shook his head "Thats life I guess." he murmured.  
  
Next Chapter: Views of Pride and Honor  
  
The two groups of seekers continue as we take a look at some of the developing relationships amoung the numbers. The Nemesis meanwhile lands off the coast of Oman in the Middle East after locating two of the Soul Edge shards, but will Nightmare trust Ivy's servent to retrieve one that seems to be on the move? And will the newcomers self confidence be hindered when they see the power of their enemy? 


	18. Views of Pride and Honor

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
WANTED: Information on Spawn. Information on his powers. I don't know much but I have seen the movie. I'd like deeper information if anybody can contribute. As I am a little disappointed with NAMCO's version of him.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Seventeen: Views of Pride and Honor  
  
It took just over an hour for the crew of the Eternal Wind to return. Stephan had decided to stay on board the Nightwraith as it was obvious that Link didn't feel like going back. Naoyuki, of course returned to the ship while Talim decided to stay onboard until they reached India where they would meet the mysterious eastern members of the White Wind. Talim just felt like she should remain onboard and keep an eye on the other seekers, she hated to not trust them fully but had no choice. Link had gone back to his room where his belongings as well as the Master Sword were kept.  
  
Kilik and Xianghua climbed back up the rope ladder that was over the side of the Eternal Wind ready to give a report "They're alright. Naoyuki and Raphael are a little shaken up. Yunsung seemed to have injured his knee but it's nothing serious. But they are confused to why that thing ran from us." Xianghua said interested. Sophitia looked at them an unsure expression on her face "I really have no idea. It's odd." Kilik brought up some items, to be specific it was Rothion's Sword as well as Link's shield. Cassandra reached out taking them noticing that there were a few scratches on the blade "Figured he would want these back." Kilik said.   
  
Jack crossed his arms as he looked toward the door that would lead down the stairs and into the inner decks of the ships "I think he wants to be left alone." Maxi nodded as this was said "Salt in a couple of deep wounds would probably do that to a man. I don't care where the hell your from." Cassandra nodded as she sighed lightly wondering what had gotten into him, was he actually taking one wound that hard. Sophitia had gone below to place the fragment away where it couldn't call out to that monster again. Cassandra breathed as she turned and began to walk toward the door "Where are you going?" Jack called out.   
  
Cassandra looked back at the brash gunner holding up the sword Sophitia and Rothion had given to Link "I'm going to go return these if it is any business of yours." she said wondering why he cared. Jack watched as she vanished through the door "Heh. Cute." he murmured. Kilik lightly shrugged "Aggressive and violent but I suppose so." Xianghua lightly shot Kilik a glare he smiled at her. Xianghua then looked at the door having noticed just how much attention that Cassandra paid to Link, maybe it was because she wanted to make sure he'd have his shot at Nightmare or maybe she had a deeper interest. She lightly giggled at the thought.  
  
Kilik and Xianghua's assumptions were suddenly broken up as Maxi shouted out "Okay everybody what are you waiting for a written invitation?" he called out. He and Michael were descending down the ladder. Jack looked up "Huh?" Maxi rolled his eyes "Unless you haven't noticed we ran aground, I'm going to need a little more help pushing the ship off the rocks!" he shouted at him. Kilik nodded and looked at Jack "Come on. I wanna make sure your good for something." he said. Jack just huffed and followed after removing his boots.  
  
It didn't take much more than ten minutes for both the Eternal Wind and the Nightwraith to be back on the water. Maxi and Kyle quickly spoke deciding that they would continue on to India but would stay close in the event that Charade showed up again seeking the shards. Raphael seemed a little skeptic when they spoke, his confidence in the group shaken by their uncollected ability to fight Charade. Not only that but with Yunsung injured they couldn't afford another attack on the Nightwraith, and the elf would be an easy target if his senses were as screwed as Kyle said.   
  
The two ships were eventually on their way once again, the refreshing sea breeze blew over the deck of the Eternal Wind giving a little more awareness to Maxi as night approached. Kilik and Xianghua were also on deck while Michael had returned to his room to rest after deciding to stand guard the night through. Sophitia meanwhile was checking over the fragment case trying to figure out how the monster had tracked them to this point. Jack suspected it had taken up a territory but doubted his theory. Link meanwhile had not come out of his room, Sophitia had warned Cassandra not to bother him, but she knew it was pointless to try and change Cassandra's stubborn mind.   
  
Link Masters sat on the mattress of his bed checking over his slashed tunic cursing the fact that he lacked the few magics he knew of, Nayru's Love would have really helped. He still wore his undershirt which had also been torn open by Charade's claws. He had removed his bracers and placed them aside, one his left hand his wrist and palm was wrapped up in a thin layer of bandages as if to hide something. He breathed as he decided to just discard it as he had at least come to this world with more than one change of cloths, including mythril lace which he didn't think he would need while sailing. He sighed sulkingly as he picked up his knife returning it to the small sheath behind his belt.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at his door he looked up shocked at first, his vision was still very hazy, his balance wasn't at its greatest and the blinding pain in his back didn't help much either. Link brought his right hand up to his forehead as he asked them to enter, Cassandra then walked through the door holding his shield and sword. Link looked at her as she walked on placing the two pieces on the mattress where he sat "Figured that you might want these back." he just absently nodded. Cassandra looked at him able to see that he was obviously frustrated about something "Are you alright?" Link shook his head "I'm fine." he muttered.  
  
Cassandra narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms at this "Oh please Link. What kind of a fool do you take me for. Have you even looked at yourself recently? Have you even bothered to patch yourself up?" she asked almost shouting at him. He lightly huffed seemingly annoyed "Alright. I haven't, and if you must know I feel like absolute Hell." Cassandra lightly brought her hand to her forehead "And Sophitia says I'm stubborn." she said before suddenly turning and stepping out of the room. Link mentally kicked himself for his behavior it was obvious that they believed him but he still didn't know how much he could trust them.   
  
Cassandra eventually reentered carrying with her a small bottle with a red cross on it along with a cloth and a bowl of water. She looked at him seriously as she got a good look at his back seeing the size of the tearing in his shirt "Take off your shirt." she said simply. Link at first was a little unsure but it wasn't long before she spoke again "The last thing that any of us need is you getting infected by a wound this sorry. We don't need you to get any worse!" she half shouted. Link lightly huffed before he removed the long white shirt dropping it on the same spot as his tunic. He then turned his back to her crossing his arms.  
  
Cassandra had believed him on much of his story from earlier and she was pretty much dead on at to what his body would look like. Truly his trials and journeys had built him to a fault but along with it came a number of scars that were visible on his flesh. The three scratches from Charade were nothing, his left arm bore two scars that almost looked like bite marks. Few were on his chest showing that he at least knew how to use that shield effectively, there was one on the back of his beck that was clearly made by a blade of sorts. There were others but they didn't appear to be very recent, obviously from his first combat experience she figured. She knew it wasn't easy as she possessed one on her left side from one of the soldiers getting a little too serious.   
  
She forgot about it as she sat on the mattress behind him and proceeded to soak the cloth running it in the four long scratches on his back. He winced as Cassandra did her best to wash the wounds free of dried blood and salt that had coated them. Cassandra at least knew what she was doing as Sophitia had taught her how to nurse for the wounded as it was needed at times in the field. Truly Cassandra couldn't find anything other than his ears that pointed him out as being a Hylian, otherwise he could easily pass for human. She looked over his shoulder noticing the bandages on his hands.  
  
Cassandra closed her eyes as she brought up the bottle, a strong smell came from it obviously it was both pain killer and disinfectant "Did something happen to your hands?" she asked. Link looked back slightly having calmed down he decided he'd speak, seeing as how she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart, it was odd seeing as how he had been chased several times and it was obvious that some of the others were uncomfortable in his presence. He shook his head "Leather rubbing against your hands isn't a very nice feeling." he said with a light smile.  
  
Cassandra nodded as she remembered the bracers he wore "I'd suppose so." she then poked a spot of his right shoulder "What in the world did you do to yourself here?" she said poking more of the puncture wound scars. Link lightly chuckled as he felt the icy yet warm sensation on his back "I've been in your world for six months remember, Talim asked the same and didn't believe me so I doubt you will." he said. Cassandra playfully narrowed her eyes before forcefully scrapping down one of the wounds "Hmm. Try me." she dared him as she rinsed the cloth in the water.  
  
Link reflected back to his younger years, although he had fought and killed that creature during his time in Gannondorf's twisted future it still had existed. It had been released from its place in death mountain but was banished to the dark realm as well, but not before Link had to face it. He pointed back touching on of the hardly visible wounds "A rather feared dragon in my homeland managed to catch me off guard but luckily I wasn't alone at the time. Otherwise...well you get the idea." Cassandra looked at him for a second then smiled "Dragons exist in your world?" she questioned him.   
  
Link shrugged as well ignoring the light pain in his shoulder "They are not as fierce as the ones that may or may have not existed a while ago mind you. Some of them are quite docile. They possess wings and normally possess a great amount of intelligence. The dark and savage ones however possess no wings, they fly by some other odd means but they are rare now. In both breeds there are probobly less than one hundred." Cassandra now felt interested with all the legends on dragons in the world that could explain the connection between worlds, but it also made her uncomfortable. That woman Ivy had the ability to tap into this worlds darker realms and call out demons, what if she could tap into Hyrule's?  
  
Cassandra eventually finished and took the time to wrap some bandages around his wounds to make sure they don't get torn open again. Link stood up pulling his shirt back on before he looked at her "Is your arm feeling better?" he asked her. She nodded as she stood up looking at him "You just take care of yourself. Also if you wanna talk, me and Xianghua would like to hear more of your stories." Link lightly shrugged "Not much to talk about but alright." Cassandra then walked from his room. Link smiled closing his eyes lightly getting help from her didn't harm his ego as much as he thought it would.   
  
Three days later onboard the Nightwraith...Talim walked up the stairs from the lower decks it was fast approaching nightfall and they had found themselves stuck in a vast amount of fog. They had just crossed through the Red Sea the day before and had just left the Gulf of Aden earlier and were now in the Arabian Sea en route to the southeast tip of India where their port was. Now of all times she found herself looking for the still recovering Yunsung even after Seung Mina had demanded that he stop trying to place his weight on that knee of his. Normally it would be Mina's turn to watch but she was resting up for her guard duty, Raphael was currently performing that act on the center of the deck.  
  
After about three seconds of looking she found him on the front of the deck attempting to train, he could walk and run at least but it was obvious he was still in too much pain to do his katas correctly. Talim sighed as she walked up to him "Do I have to lock you in your cabin to keep you from being so foolish?" she asked as she felt a little responsible. Yunsung huffed before he pulled himself from the floor "It was only a dislocation and some bruises. Better to get used to the pain before we get to land again." Talim looked back at Naoyuki who shrugged as he saw her "Hey I just pilot the ship. I don't have time to watch him." he said keeping a keen look out for any lights.  
  
Raphael nodded as he swiped his rapier through the fog "I haven't the time to care. If he hurts himself tough luck, if he requests to be left alone far be it for me to meddle." Yunsung nodded as he stood up holding White Storm "Uh. Thanks." he said a little unsure. Suddenly Naoyuki spotted something from the distance, it appeared to be a number of lights just through the fog he knew little of the areas but knew that the coastal cities lit up large fires to make signals. Naoyuki looked at Yunsung "Check in with the others. We're supposed to be on open sea." he said. Raphael suddenly had a bad feeling as both ships were moving toward the lights like a fly to a candle.  
  
Yunsung moved to the edge "Hey!" he shouted back at the barely visible Eternal Wind that was not far behind the Nightwraith that was trying to take it slow in this fog. Kilik's voice came over the hundred yard distance from the ships "What is that?" his voice shouted. Maxi obviously heard and moved the Eternal Wind to get closer to the Nightwraith, it was a good thing that both stays closed otherwise they could get separated in the mist. Yunsung shouted back "I don't know!" he shouted back. Kyle walked up from the bottom deck his arms crossed "What are you screaming about?" he asked monotony obviously annoyed by it. Yunsung suddenly had an expression of shock in his face before he gulped and pointed...  
  
Link, Jack, Cassandra and Sophitia were all in the first deck, Sophitia had just gone over the plan. They would pick up two other members in India before moving on to track the Soul Edge, being that both of them had experience in fighting them they would be more than useful. However they were suddenly taken off task when Link stood up, he closed his eyes breathing through his nose "What is that smell?" he asked. Cassandra looked up as she noticed the musty scent in the air. Jack narrowed his eyes as he knew this scent all two well and was pretty sure Maxi did as well.  
  
Suddenly the door up the steps burst open and Xianghua called down the them "Uh Sophitia, everyone I think you might want to see this." Sophitia moved from her seat moving up. Suddenly something struck Link's senses the very presence of death in the area, he moved as well following Sophitia, Cassandra and Jack did the same. They all arrived on deck to find that it was shrouded in a light of yellow and orange light, they looked up to see it, the burning remains of a group of ships. Cassandra was shocked at what she saw "What...what could have done this?" she breathed as she looked to Link who glared at the scene.   
  
Sophitia spoke almost instantly uncharacteristic contempt in her voice "The Black Wind." she said simply hate filling her voice. Kilik narrowed his eyes at the wreckage before he looked at Link seeing his hardened expression "There are seven ships..." Kilik said. Link nodded at this. Kilik closed his eyes as he knew he could see the proof "...And not one soul lingers, all of them taken by that infernal blade." he grasped Kali-Yuga even tighter his hands shaking as he did so. Link brought up his hand to be placed on the ridge between his eyes "A vain loss indeed." he murmured sadly.  
  
Raphael huffed uncaringly knowing that it was obviously the nobles of his country who sent these people to their deaths. The Soul Edge could not be claimed by average military means or their technology, it can only be faced on even ground by another fighter otherwise it will just make quick work of the opposition. Kyle lightly shook his head before looking to Yunsung and Talim "There is nothing we can do to help them. Only shatter the blade before it can make use of their souls." Naoyuki nodded as he steered the Nightwraith back east toward India.  
  
Meanwhile just a day North from the decimated seven ship was the mammoth ship known only as the Nemesis. It had taken up hold in a cavern that was unable to be seen unless one knew where it was, one of Cervantes hiding points known as the Pirate's Cove. The Darkthorne was with it and the other few ships had also docked in this rather large base. The Black Wind would easily be able to gather what was needed before they headed out into the Middle East. Nightmare having taken his time had felt out a piece of the Soul Edge, it rested somewhere in one of the Middle Eastern Countries. However there was a minor problem that was taking place near the center deck.  
  
Cervantes had also picked up a shard of the Soul Edge due North from where they were headed but he had made the discovery that it was moving, Nightmare didn't believe it was a great concern and refused to send an entire legion of his forces after it. Cervantes was needless to say furious "If its moving it obviously means somebody has it! It could be the enemy or maybe somebody is drawing off of it's power. You'd be a fool not to send somebody." Nightmare crossed his arms "First thing is first. The one we are going to retrieve is untouched and won't have any problem returning. And we need you to track the Soul Blade fragments." Cervantes growled.   
  
Isabella Valentine who stood against the nearby wall scoffed "Just leave it alone De Leon. There is always later." Cervantes glared at his daughter then back at Nightmare "Well we should at least send somebody to investigate. Renzor or Astaroth would do finely." Nightmare shook his head at this as well. Cervantes growled "Why the hell not?" "Because Astaroth isn't the quickest traveler and Renzor is needed here with his troops. And he cannot sense the fragments anyway." Cervantes growled ready to just attack Nightmare and prove he had no right to give him orders. Until there suddenly came a voice from behind them "If one must try I will go."   
  
They all looked back to see Ivy's servant standing there his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in seriousness. Nightmare looked at the boy, despite his age he was pretty far out when Ivy met him and fought him and he sure wasn't at any disadvantage put on by fatigue or hunger. Ivy lightly smiled at Drake as he said this "Sure you can handle such a task my boy?" she said with a smirk. Cervantes was shocked that they were considering this "We cannot allow him to take such an action. We cannot trust him with the shard and you both know this." Ivy lightly shrugged as if it was just to spite him.   
  
Drake closed his eyes before he spoke "Unless you forget I have kept my word this long. If I was going to turn and run off I would have done so by now. As for survival you don't need to worry on that. If I don't return in a month you can send one of your scaled friends to retrieve the shard from me." Ivy smiled as she walked up placing her hands on the boy's shoulders easily having the height advantage over him "He was quite skilled last I saw. I wouldn't worry about his safety. If whoever has the fragment can use it, I'm confident Drake will find a way out."   
  
Drake lightly turned to look back at his mistress "I'm honored." he said his monotone attitude remaining constant. Cervantes looked at Nightmare "Please don't tell me your going to consider sending this...infant out after a shard of the Soul Edge?!" Nightmare crossed his arms as he looked at the child having seen exactly how he fights and if this creature was using the shard it would be large and sluggish most likely. Nightmare then looked at Drake his eyes glowing "You have one month before I send Diablos out of collect you. You'd either better have the fragment or one hell of an excuse." Drake nodded his eyes not shifting from their narrowed shape.   
  
Cervantes turned and stomped down the deck Ivy watched and smirked at this, Nightmare spoke "He needs to learn some patience. Ivy, how soon can this child be ready?" he asked. Drake crossed his arms before he spoke "I merely request my weapons back and somebody to transport me to the shore, I can fend for myself afterwards." Ivy nodded before stepping away to retrieve the twin swords he used which had been taken after returning to the Nemesis as it was obvious that he hated a number of those on board. Nightmare then looked at Drake "Do not get overconfident. I feel whoever has this fragment is not normal. Do not rush in and attack as De Leon would."   
  
Drake nodded his head his eyes remaining deep "Your breath is wasted I'm afraid. In my training that is the key lesson. I forgot it once and well...here I am." he said simply. Nightmare nodded "And where you will remain until you've earned your freedom." Nightmare then stepped away to find Diablos who could fly him to the shore. Drake breathed before he turned to look East knowing what was a couple thousand miles away, hopefully if he could play his cards right he would be able to convince them to steer away from the only home he had ever had. Though many wouldn't think he would after what they did to him.   
  
Next Chapter: UNDECIDED  
  
The Seekers eventually arrive in India. While some of them head out to pick up some supplies or have some R&R Maxi confronts himself on what happened five years ago. Kilik and Xianghua share a moment together. One of the new arrivals meets with the Eternal Wind and Link and Cassandra make an incredible find. Shortly after however Cassandra witnesses first hand exactly how much trouble Link's appearance lands him in. 


	19. The Harbor of Souls

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
WANTED: Information on Spawn. Information on his powers. I don't know much but I have seen the movie. I'd like deeper information if anybody can contribute. As I am a little disappointed with NAMCO's version of him.   
  
NOTE: I'm sorry this is late! Please don't hurt me! *holds up Hylian Shield over his head*  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Eighteen: The Harbor of Souls  
  
Maxi couldn't help but sigh as he steered the Eternal Wind through the foggy waters toward the nearby port. After more than a week at sea they had finally arrived at the Southeast Indian port where they were to meet up with the eastern fraction of the White Wind. Two of them had not only searched for the Soul Edge for an extended amount of time but both of them had come into contact and fought against the blade. Though neither of them were truly successful in their goals their actions did weaken the blade, although one of them had until three years ago sought the blade to use for his own before he finally realized it was truly evil.   
  
But there was more significance to this place than simply a meeting point between the two groups, it was the place where Maxi and Kilik apparently first met. It was also where his original crew met their end at the hands of the titan Astaroth and the horrible Renzor, along with their hoard of Lizardmen. His ship had sank beneath the waves somewhere out in the harbor, and he couldn't save them. He had failed them. Maxi gripped the wheel angrily as they pulled into port the sails being hoisted up as they came in. On signal Jack and Kilik jumped down off the sides and pulled their ropes tight around the docks halting the ship.   
  
Jack breathed as he whipped his forehead and looked down over the gap of water to the Eternal Wind's right, the Nightwraith had freshly docked as well. Sophitia spoke as she leaned against the starboard railings "Seems our luck is still holding strong." she looked back at Xianghua who adjusted her sword on her hip "Where and when are we supposed to meet them again?" she asked. Xianghua looked up at their apparent leader "We are to wait at the docks and meet them before the month is out. This is the third week after all so we can expect at least one of them to show up." Sophitia nodded as she looked down at Kilik who stared out over the sea, then to Maxi who seemed to have his head bowed in mourning.  
  
Sophitia sighed "So this is where it happened?" Xianghua nodded as she stepped forward her left hand rested Krita-Yuga's hilt "I've never seen this place for myself. And I wasn't present but this place seems to be the final resting place of the Southern Dandy and its crew." she said. Sophitia shook her head "A true shame." she said bowing her head in respect of the fallen. Jack and Michael dropped the boarding ramp ready to get off the gunslinger then looked up at the figure standing at the front of the Nightwraith.   
  
Kyle Strife stood there with an average sized hawk perched on his shoulder, it was his pet that had returned to him from hunting three days prior to the present. Talim stepped up onto the deck wearing some cloths that Cassandra had given her in Athens, but considering the height difference it could be considered a miracle that she just had them lying around. Essentially she kept her boots on while she now wore a pair of eggshell white pants and a crisp blue shirt, though it made Talim comfortable to keep her wrist guards and medallion on as well.   
  
Seung Mina now wore a green and blue outfit that didn't really display her body as much, although India was a peaceful place she doubted she would need to be prepared to battle but brought her weapon anyway. Talim looked up at Kyle as he stood there at the front of the ship, she then looked to Yunsung who had healed pretty well "Yunsung, seriously what kind of a name is Kyle Strife for a Korean?" Yunsung shrugged at this as he adjusted his sword on his hip just to be safe. He spoke up making sure Kyle couldn't hear, he was more personal about his past than Hwang was "I'm not exactly sure. He is only Korean by decent. He was all over as a child so maybe at one point he changed his name. Ask Mina later." Talim nodded.  
  
Both of them looked over as they noticed the woman in mention making her way to Kyle, something seemed oddly different about her when she was around him. Talim leaned over to Yunsung "Just how close are those two?" she asked curious. Yunsung shrugged "I don't know and I really don't wanna know." Talim giggled lightly as Mina reached up to him flicking his ear to get his attention, Silverbolt jumped off Kyle's shoulder and onto the railing in surprise. Kyle looked back from the sea "Whats wrong Mina?" he asked. Mina sighed lightly dropping her hands to her hips "You need to learn how to relax. I was just going to ask if you wanted to go into town with us." she said.  
  
Kyle lightly shook his head "I'm not really in the mood. Besides that Sorel as well as myself want to get a look at these two fighters that the White Wind is going to have join them." Mina sighed. It was the same as always when he expected new faces "You really have to be more trusting of people, you know." Kyle lightly huffed "Forgive me for not taking chances." he said rudely. Mina groaned at this before going back to Yunsung and Talim "Lets just get going." they agreed and started walking leaving Kyle to reflect and plan for their inevitable meeting with Nightmare's group. Jack met with them and went with them feeling the tension on the Eternal Wind irritating.  
  
Back on the Eternal Wind the crew was pretty much ready to go, Sophitia had dressed in some more common cloths which included a white tunic and past knee boots(her third costume without the change of hair). Kilik and Xianghua also planned to go feeling that as long as they were in such a lively area of trade they could probably find something of interest while Maxi and the two brothers (Stephan and Michael) held down the fort. Link had been up as well for some time but he didn't seem anxious to go out onto the streets, knowing how they first reacted it was no surprise that he didn't want to stick out to people who were close minded to differences.  
  
It wasn't long before the two ships fell silent with most of their people having left, with only Kyle, Raphael and Naoyuki remaining on the Nightwraith it was hardly active. With Maxi waiting on deck, Stephan, Michael and Juan(takes care of cooking and any animals in case you forgot) handling supplies, an ever silent Link sitting on the railings and a sleeping Cassandra below decks it wasn't exactly as exciting as it had been prior to the present. Maxi was however a little interested when he noticed Kyle just suddenly stand up grabbing his cloak. He paid it no mind as he continued to wait.  
  
Rapheal looked at his silent, almost cold-hearted ally as he stood up "I thought you were intrigued by these two that are coming to join them. They have both after all encountered the sword." Kyle shrugged his shoulders as he pinned the cloak at his shoulder "What do I care about that sword?" Raphael nodded at this as he ran a cloth over Flambert "Ah yes. You only seek to murder its former master. Are you worried about the others?" Kyle huffed at this "Please. Yunsung will be fine with that other eastern girl baby-sitting him. I'm just bored." he said before he walked down the plank and then into town with Silverbolt still perched on his shoulder. Raphael shrugged as he stood up standing in the center of the deck to start his daily practice.  
  
Not long after leaving, Seung Mina and her group found themselves in the middle of the nearby market place, it was rather convenient to her as she found a few small knives that she had knowledge of. She couldn't help but stiffen a giggle as she saw Talim looking at one of the jewelry stands, apparently a few of them were from her people as the symbols showed. Yunsung was sticking by Talim as well "Jealous?" a voice suddenly said. Mina slowly brought up the blunt end of Scarlet Thunder to be pushed forcefully against Jack's abdomen "If you actually think I'd be jealous of Talim your asking for a quick nap." she warned.   
  
The gunner brought up a hand to push it away with a chuckle "I just ment the attention he seems to be giving her. I mean from what Talim says they didn't meet on the best of terms. Is he just trying his best to make it up." Mina lightly leaned against her weapon as he spoke "I really don't care. But its probably a good thing that boy learns to try to make up for being an ass from time to time." Jack chuckled before he turned and went back to haggling with the weapons dealer, apparently he wanted to replenish his supply of gunpowder before they headed out.   
  
Mina lightly chuckled as she followed Jack "But you have to admit despite age difference they make a cute couple." she then noticed Jack's expression which was one of seriousness. She looked at him "Something wrong?" she asked. Jack looked at her but didn't turn much "We're being spied on." Mina gulped as she gripped her weapon trying to be as stealth as possible. She followed Jack's eyes to a mirror that had been set up just to the right of the vender from it she could see down the street. "The alleyway two shops down from Yunsung and Talim." he said simply. Mina followed and then saw him.  
  
There was somebody standing in the shadows as if in stealth with his back pushed against the wall and just looking at them out the corner of the wall. He could not be seen from the shadows and people just seemed to walk by not even noticing him. They couldn't see him very clearly but he possessed a muscular frame and an odd hair style that seemed to jut out from his temples. It wasn't long from when they took notice of this man that he turned and moved down the alley, Seung Mina didn't bother giving chase as she turned and just watched waiting for any kind of sneak attack. Nothing came.  
  
Yunsung walked up with Talim who had decided to hold on to what little money she had "Mina...whats going on?" Yunsung asked upon seeing her serious expression. She looked at them as Jack placed a hand on his curved sword "Keep on your guard." he ordered before he turned "...and stay close. I don't like this." he said nervously. Yunsung nodded holding White Storm by the hilt as the group continued down the streets where they could buy some fresh water for their journey. Little did they know their stranger had already lost interest in them, none of them had what he was looking for. They lacked the aura of one who had encountered the Soul Edge.  
  
Maxi leaned more against the mast as he waited for anybody to get back or one of their contacts to show up. Link looked at him as he sat on the railings "How trust worthy are these two?" he asked simply. Maxi looked back at them "One of them once chased the sword but saw first hand how inheritely evil it was and now wishes its destruction. The woman traveling, I feel she can be trusted. If it wasn't for her Sophitia would have been long dead." Link nodded his head at this knowing just how invaluable Sophitia Alexandra was to them.   
  
Link's attention was taken from Maxi as he heard the sound of footsteps coming up from below, Cassandra stepped out obviously having finally woken up. Being that she had been on watch the night before she had gone to sleep in the third first half of the morning (between 6 and 9). She stretched and yawned lightly she had probably been awake a little while as she had redressed into a less elaborate outfit which was essentially just a white shirt and skirt with some red designs on it. Link however gathered from the thickness of the material it probably normally involved combat and was normally accompanied by armor. (Cassandra's third costume without the armor or helmet)  
  
She looked around the deck then glanced over at Link who nodded his head in acknowledgment, she then looked to the pirate from Ryukyu "Where is everybody?" she asked crossing her arms. He pointed toward the city "While Stephan, Michael and Juan went to take care of any needed supplies your sister went into the town with Kilik and Xianghua. Most of the others have hit the markets as well leaving the two of us to watch this crate." Cassandra huffed at Maxi's explanation "And nobody woke me?" she crossed her arms "Typical." she said obviously disappointed.   
  
Link shrugged his shoulders it seemed women didn't change much between Hyrule and Earth, he mentally chuckled at this thought, that is until Cassandra suddenly walked up to him. She looked at him before taking him by one of his gloved hands "Come on. Lets go." she said rather insistently. Maxi looked at the two as Link was almost pulled from his place, he chuckled wondering if Xianghua's off hand assumption had been more accurate than he thought.   
  
Cassandra spoke up "I'm not in the mood to wait around for who knows how long for these two to show up. Lets check this place out." she said lightly reminding him of somebody else he knew. Link was reluctant to going into any town but then again he could at least hide his ears under a bandanna despite how ridiculous it looked. Link not really thinking asked why she wanted him to come along. Cassandra sighed as if embarrassed as he asked this "I've never really been within a hundred miles of Athens alone. I'd figure with all the traveling any of you people have done it wouldn't be as hard for you to find your way back. Give me a break alright?" Link nodded his head knowing the feeling.   
  
Maxi groaned as he straightened his stance "So what you two kids are just going to leave me hanging here like this?" he said, his complaints coated in sarcasm. Cassandra looked back as she headed down the gangplank Link trailing behind her "And since when have you been an adult Maxi?" she asked with a smirk. Maxi chuckled "Ha ha very funny. Just run along before I boot you two off." he said as he sat back down waiting. He remembered this city well and couldn't help but smile as he remembered what his first mate said 'This is a peaceful city where new romances are sparked or those that are current catch a greater flame.' he didn't know about Link and Cassandra but if this was true he could only hope Xianghua and Kilik could remain themselves.  
  
Cassandra and Link moved down the street moving through the market, their cloths didn't really draw all that much attention as it was obvious that all kinds of people visited this port city. Link however felt a little undressed without the weight of his sword or shield but everything seemed safe, in the event it isn't he always had his dagger with him and Cassandra had her sword. They checked out a few of the shops that had been set up, it seemed that the Athenian had brought quite a bit of her own money apparently having some sort of a fascination with foreign jewelry. Link kept near her but wandered from such things when something suddenly caused a spark in his senses.  
  
He looked up everything seeming to go still for a few seconds as he felt the presence of it, another fragment. This matched the energy as the one from Istanbul but, it was close. It was so close the presence of it was almost intoxicating to his acquired sixth sense. It then vanished as quickly as it came and things seemed to return to normal, Cassandra stepped up to Link about to ask him what was wrong. He looked at her "There is a fragment nearby, but it seemed to be weakened like the last one." Cassandra nodded as she looked at the several shops in the market place.  
  
Sophitia opened her eyes as she noticed felt it, another fragment of the blade she destroyed seven years ago. She turned her head to look at Kilik and Xianghua who had been eating what they bought at a small bakery, now they both stood up looking pretty determined. She looked back at Kilik as he was after all the most acute to the aura of the fragments "Well?" she asked hoping to get a distance on it. Kilik shook his head "This place is enormous. It is impossible to sense it out from this far away." Sophitia huffed angrily, not at Kilik but at their less than good fortune.   
  
There was suddenly a rumbling from above as dark gray clouds began to gather over the city coming from the east. Kilik looked at the Athenian maiden "We should head back before the rain comes. Lets go." he started walking as did Xianghua until she looked back seeing Sophitia just standing there starring at the sky. Sophitia was exhausted both mentally and physically. The only thing that continued to support her doing this was both the people that were counting on her and the memory of the one whom she was out to save. "Sophitia...come on." Xianghua said softly. Sophitia turned and nodded before walking after them still thinking of him, that boy from seven years ago.  
  
Cassandra's eyes marveled as the shop keeper slowly peeled away the cloth from the glowing piece of crimson alloy. The spots of black were clearly that of Soul Edge though to normal eyes it appeared to be a glowing stone, they could not see the disgusting fleshy layer over it. Link gazed on it as he saw it wondering how it feel into the hands of a traveling merchant, not that it mattered. Cassandra spoke "How much?" she asked the vender who appeared to be no older than Maxi or Michael. He looked at Cassandra in a manner that really didn't rest well with her or her company "How much do you have to offer?" he asked with a snicker.  
  
Cassandra looked at him before placing a hand on her sword which made him drop his smirk "Nothing that you would be privileged to, sir." she said adding contempt to the last word. He crossed his arms "Another came by earlier and noticed it. A rather threatening looking man who carried a sword. Told me to hold on to it for him, I'm not going to just sell it unless you make it worthy my while." he said obviously serious this time. Cassandra looked at Link as the vender shook his head and turned taking the shard from the counter.  
  
Cassandra then gripped her sword deciding that she would just have to be alot more threatening than his prior customer. She then felt a grip on her wrist as Link caught her arm before the tip could leave the sheath, he looked at her and shook his head. He then reached into his tunic removing a small pouch, a few sounds came from it like smoothly polished rocks rubbing together. He then looked at the vender "Will you make an exception in our case." he said as he placed his hand on the counter holding whatever came from the bag.   
  
The vender turned looking as Link's hand came away from the counter leaving something to be marveled at, a neatly cut gemstone that was blue in color. It had to be at least three inches from point to point and was around an inch and a half wide. The vender's eyes went wide as Link just stood there gripping the small pouch in his hand the sounds of even more of these gems sounding. Cassandra was also surprised. If he had come from the east how had he stumbled upon such a gem, in such a flawless condition. Link then spoke "Is it a trade?" he asked simply seeming hardly concerned in doing this. It was as if he lacked the knowledge of such a gems worth.  
  
The vender examined the gem finding it to be worth more than what he was being haggled for "Ah...uh...yes sir. Excellent trade." he said as he took the fragment back from the counter. Cassandra looked at it "How did you come upon this sir?" she asked still keeping a serious tone that demanded answer. He shrugged before speaking "I was traveling from the north of India when I saw a strange shadow move over the water. I investigated and found this. I guess its one of those magical stones from that cult that resides in the Asian valleys." he said before he turned to place the blue gemstone in a safe place. Link took the fragment and placed it in the same pouch before moving away.  
  
They both moved down the street each of them pretty much silent until they were out of the public in a pretty much deserted and unused area of the market. Cassandra looked at him before stepping in front of him looking him in the eyes only standing an inch or two shorter "Alright Link where did you get that gem?" she said showing she really wanted an answer. Link didn't answer right away "Look the only place I've ever seen gems like that is the treasury in Athens? I certainly hope you didn't rip off that Don in Istanbul." Link chuckled at this. Cassandra blinked annoyed by this "What? Whats so funny?"  
  
Link silenced himself before he removed the pouch careful not to touch the fragment, he then withdrew two more, both of them of the same shape only emeralds. He spoke "These are the currency of my home if you must know. But there is a differing value between these and gems." Cassandra took one looking at it "Your telling me that you have enough of these just laying around to be used as payment. Impossible." Link shrugged as he looked at the other "Its true. That one you have there, five of those are the value of the one I used back there."   
  
Cassandra looked at him as he explained the difference between these green, blue and red gems in Hyrule. They were the most common, however he explained that essentially all of these 'rupees' as he called them were simple pieces of crystal created through magic and alchemy. The ones that grew naturally in nature were of much greater value, fortunately humans had no knowledge of this. She looked at him "Amazing. How many do you have left? We could really work off of these?" she asked him. Link sighed at this question before explaining he had a decent number when he first came but together they were worth quite a bit. He of course had to use several to charter him and Talim all the way to Athens.  
  
Little did either of them know that while they were talking and exchanging this information they were both being watched from the shadows. The woman remained hidden her eyes narrowed upon both of them not interested in the gems this seemingly out of town boy carried but rather something else she sensed from him. She kept well hidden hardly moving as she watched them reading lips as best she could, though by the time she caught up the boy had started speaking of how many of those gems he had squandered. She watched them as she moved from her spot on the roof on one of the buildings dropping down and landing with perfect accuracy.   
  
Cassandra handed him back the gem before she looked up taking note of the storm "We should probably get moving, we don't need to get caught in the rain." Link nodded and they both turned to return to the market however just as they moved Link's ears perked unseen due to the tips being hidden by the bandanna. He heard something moving suddenly through the wind, he then turned around swiftly one leg going back into a stance as somebody had appeared out of thin air where they had been standing just moments before. She stood up straight, her legs brought together and her arms crossed over her chest showing without words she ment business.  
  
Cassandra watched the woman as she stood there threatening to the eyes but Cassandra fought her urge to step back, she wore an outfit that consisted of a white obi which included a black and gold design like a sash going toward her right hip from her left shoulder. Her arms and legs were protected by metallic arm guards and shin guards which were accented in black and silver. Her arms remained crossed under her breasts while she waited for any action to come, Cassandra had no clue what she wanted. This eastern woman didn't appear to be one of the Black Wind but Cassandra really didn't know what to think as she could have sworn she had seen her somewhere before.   
  
Her attire was nothing like Link had seen before, but he could tell that it was obviously not something to be casually worn. Link watched as well as she never dropped her gaze from his eyes, he returned it to her taking notice of her features. Her dark brown eyes were clearly filled with memories of combat, the gaze was enough to show. Her long, shiny raven hair was pulled back to keep it out of her way and she possessed a pair of blades that were normally used for stealth and assassination, one on the reverse of her sash and the other on her back accessible from over her right shoulder. Her body stood firm and in ready to move obviously she was much more impressive that could be seen.   
  
Link and Cassandra were still oblivious to the identity of this woman but only one thing was certain, if push came to shove it would not fair well for either of them.  
  
Next Chapter: The Mercenary and the Huntress  
  
While the Eternal Wind finally receives its visit from their first contact Link and Cassandra discover that this woman also seeks the fragments of the Soul Edge and Soul Blade, however her one personal hatred for another type of living being lands Link in a run for his life when he is revealed. Meanwhile Kyle runs into trouble of his own, another fighter who apparently wishes a challenge from another and is very insistent on it. Though Strife finds himself wondering, what kind of a fool challenges a person who is obviously arms when they themselves possess no weapon. 


	20. The Mercenary and the Huntress

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Author's Note: Just to let you know, from here on out brackets represent thoughts of characters. I'll be going back to fix it up later. Also forgive me if my Japanese is a little off.   
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Nineteen: The Mercenary and the Huntress  
  
While Link and Cassandra found themselves confronted by this mysterious woman, Maxi still found himself dying of boredom onboard the Eternal Wind. Raphael had come to join him after finishing up his daily practice with his Rapier, eventually a question was brought up "So who are these two that come to help us?" he asked. Maxi shrugged "I only met them once so I'm not too clear on who they are or what they do. That is something that you'll have to ask Sophitia." Raphael nodded before looking towards the sound of footsteps coming back up the ramp "Hm. Speak of the devil." he said as Sophitia, Kilik and Xianghua walked back onto the ship.   
  
Maxi's attention was taken to the storm clouds above them "Strange it looked just like this seven years ago." he said with a light sigh. Sophitia dropped what she had bought on the deck before looking back at the market "There is a shard somewhere in this city." she said a little angry. Kilik spoke up quickly "We'll have plenty of time to seek it out later. I doubt the Black Wind would come this far and cause a great amount of trouble for a shard that is most likely in a shop." Sophitia nodded "I suppose your right." she said. Xianghua pitied Sophitia, this was her third time going after the Soul Edge she had obviously had all she could stand of it.  
  
There was suddenly a knocking sound on the side of the ship and a rough voice spoke up "Anybody on board?" he called up to the ship, the voice held a broken Japanese accent with the English words. Maxi walked to the ramp and looked down at the man below. He wore a cloak over himself covering the casual cloths that he wore over himself, having no need for his armor at this point. He had a well crafted katana at his side and seemed to constantly be ready to use it. He possessed dark eyes and black hair and couldn't have been beyond the age of thirty, Maxi really didn't need much more than a glance to know who he was.  
  
Maxi walked down the ramp nodding to the man that had helped him and his crew locate Sophitia Alexandra as well as Kilik and Xianghua. Maxi raised one arm to give a half wave to the man who just kept his arms at his sides as he walked up the ramp "At least your efficient. We've only been here three days." he said to Maxi in his native tongue. Maxi half grinned "Nice to see you again too Heishiro." he said using the man's first name. The man huffed before he walked past Maxi onto the ship, Raphael's eyes followed the warriors every step he could tell just by how he moved he had some veteran experience.  
  
He glanced around at those that stood on the deck before he stepped up to Sophitia speaking a greeting in his native language. Sophitia responded with the same greeting before he spoke in his still broken English "You are Sophitia Alexandra, who fought Cervantes de Leon and shattered the Soul Blade seven years ago, correct?" he asked. Sophitia nodded to this "I am her, I assume that you are Heishiro Mitsurugi. One of the first to actually survive an encounter with the Soul Edge and still manage to continue hunting it." she said in the same fashion as he.   
  
The man known as the Demon Samurai shook his head at this "Though the name remains the same that fool who hunted for the Soul Edge for the sake of power is long dead. I wish nothing more than its destruction." he said. Sophitia knew that two years ago Mitsurugi had made some sort of a commitment to not hunt the sword for personal gain though the true reasons were unannounced. But it seemed that the rivalry that Taki and he had going for the sword had ended and they traveled together, often with another warrior called Yoshimitsu.   
  
Sophitia took the time to point out everybody that was currently onboard the vessel though many were still out on the streets, though she had never really met Mitsurugi she trusted Taki Moyika's judgment. Mitsurugi knew Kilik and Xianghua as they had traveled to Japan and me them two years ago under Sophitia's request. Eventually Raphael spoke up to the samurai "Wasn't there another that was to come with you?" he asked in his perfected English. Mitsurugi looked to the French sword fighter "She wished to investigate something a little while back." he said simply before he sat down to wait for her.  
  
Back in the city Kyle found himself in another abandoned area of the market. Silverbolt fidgeted nervously on his shoulder as he walked the talons at time gripping on his jacket. Kyle stopped as Silverbolt sharply gripped with both of his talons, the bird then jumped from his shoulder moving away from him. Kyle knew exactly what these actions ment, he was being followed. He slowly turned to looked back behind him, standing about thirty feet from him was something he really didn't expect this early in his life.   
  
A man stood there before him. From what Kyle could see he had to be at least sixty-five, from what he wore he appeared to be a master of some martial arts but he had never seen an art that used a tiger as its symbol, especially not in such detail. The gi he wore was open just enough to catch a glimpse of a rather nasty scar on his chest, but that didn't matter. His hair mostly gray hair was made to go out and he had a rather powerful build from what Kyle could tell. On his arms were a pair of metal gauntlets, their purpose was obvious but Kyle couldn't tell if this old man was following him or planned to challenge him. Finally he spoke "What is your name little boy?" he asked mocking the much younger swordsman.   
  
Kyle looked up straightening his stance as he narrowed his eyes "Thats not your concern. What do you want old man?" he asked feeling his time was being wasted. The old man huffed before he stiffened up his glare becoming quite intimidating "I've been searching a while for somebody who could offer me a decent challenge. Though the lands are covered in warriors few have seen the same intensity you have. Your fighting spirit is a much more than just an ember." Kyle looked at this man wondering where the hell he got this from. Kyle crossed his arms as well "Are you actually requesting that I fight you?"  
  
The much older fighter lowered his arms looking at the young swordsman "I wasn't asking little boy, I was making a challenge." Kyle looked at the old man's eyes as they narrowed, the dark pupils said it all. This man whomever he might have been was dead serious about taking Kyle on, it wasn't often for an elder fighter to challenge a younger to a battle. He spoke again suddenly, his voice strong and direct "Draw your sword if you wish little boy. Fist to fist you will never come close to defeating me." Kyle narrowed his eyes before he drew the black bladed Oblivion from its sheath and went into stance. Though something told him this was a very bad idea.  
  
Meanwhile back across the market Link and Cassandra still found themselves being starred down by this ominous woman who still hadn't flinched. Cassandra finally got up the courage to speak "Who are you? What business do you have with us?" the woman looked at Cassandra to acknowledge her words but looked at her for a few moments swearing she had seen her before, but seemed to dismiss it. She looked directly at Link who seemed to tense up right before she spoke. He didn't understand her as she spoke in a dialect that was not English but her voice was strong yet somehow it seemed to be only one side of this person. It reminded him of an ally from his own home. (who can guess?)  
  
Cassandra looked at the woman before speaking herself "Neither of us understand you...uh do you speak Latin or English?" she asked. The woman sighed before speaking again "You two possess something that many people search for, if you know what is good for your mortal souls you will release it to me at once." she said in English so perfect one wouldn't know she was from another country. Cassandra looked at Link as the woman seemed to narrow her eyes "I know what you protect and it is not for average mortals to possess. I will not hesitate to harm you. Now hand me the fragment." both of them stepped back knowing there would be trouble.  
  
The woman then looked at the young man again as she then caught a glimpse of something, there seems to be something concealed under the bandanna he wore causing a rift but all his hair was brushed over it. She then looked into his eyes then narrowed her own before she drew the blade that was over her shoulder "You. Where do you hail from?" Cassandra swiftly spoke up "We're both from Athens." the woman chuckled "I can tell that of you young lady but I've been to many places and I've never seen eyes of such depth or pigment." Link's eyes narrowed as he found himself being seen through, there were more differences than he had expected.   
  
The woman looked at Link "I'm through with words demon. If you intend to possess the fragment you'd better be ready to defend it!" Cassandra watched in horror as the woman with perfect speed rushed up to Link swiping one of her swords gracefully through the air. Link seeing this quickly moved ducking as the blade passed over his head, he then moved hard to her right pushing past her. Cassandra looked at him understanding what the woman was, she had to have been the rouge demon huntress Sophitia had spoken of and she had a pretty strong feeling of what she thought Link was. "Link run back to the ship!" she ordered.   
  
Link nodded before he took off running down the streets knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the woman by himself. Cassandra drew her sword ready to fight the woman but the huntress paid no attention to the Athenian as she sheathed her blade and then gave chase on Link. Cassandra mentally growled before she took off in a sprint of her own kicking up dirt knowing that she had to do something to help. Link ran down the streets diving into an alley at the first chance he got and quickly running in the attempt to lose the female warrior that stalked him.  
  
The unarmed elven moved quickly down the streets of the large market not seeing the woman when he looked back but he could feel her there. Link eventually came to a stop breathing heavily as he looked back trying to catch his breath as he kneeled slightly resting his hands on his knees. Suddenly the thought hit him between the rush and excitement [What the fuck am I standing around for?!] his mind screamed just as he heard a pair of feet stealthily leap into the air. Link moved hard leaping forward to roll on the ground just as there was a flash of metal.   
  
Link rolled on the ground coming into a kneeling stance, the woman had landed just behind where he was and had her swords held in such a way to slit his throat. She didn't speak as she looked up at him "You sure seem well adapted to that body demon, a shame I must cut it off to cut you down." she said before moving at him. The woman made her movements quick and precise, luckily Link's natural agility made it possible to move from the swift blows send at his head and abdomen.   
  
The woman then moved up hard with a kick to his side catching him completely off guard, Link however took this into account and quickly reached up her hold off the blade clutched in her right hand which seemed to be the only one she used. Link then let his own instinct take over as he suddenly rolled back and kicked the woman a good distance into the dirt. He quickly jumped to his feet running as she stood up brushing the dirt from herself, yet now she was curious as to why he ran instead of taking her head off when he had the chance. With renewed interest she continued her chase.  
  
Kyle grunted in strain as he moved hard to the side trying to get a slash in at the old man that he wouldn't be able to counter. Whoever had made those gauntlets for him had taken their time, the Oblivion's blade was hardly being felt through them and what few slashes had actually made contact on the man's arms seemed to be nothing to him. He was luckily freed up from the extra weight of the secondary sword he usually carried but never used, but that little bit of speed wouldn't help much in this situation. The man moved hard thrusting one arm down to catch the blade on his steel bracer, he forced it away and then swung a powerful punch at Kyle's head. Kyle moved down as it flew over his head and quickly through a kick at his ankle sending him off his feet.  
  
The old man fell back and quickly moved to stand up. Kyle came down swinging upwards the blade digging into the dirt a black aura following it as it did so just missing the man. He rolled and jumped up appearing at Kyle's side as he pulled the single edged weapon from the ground "Not bad!" he shouted before bringing back his hands. Kyle turned ready to act when the old man got in close and then sent both of his hands shooting forward to slam into Kyle's chest. The sheer force of the blow knocked the wind out of him as he felt his chest bone slightly bend back as he was sent over fifteen feet away from the old man and into one of the set ups.   
  
Kyle shouted in pain as his back made contact with one of the wooden beams breaking it in half as he flew on. Kyle was motionless then, the old man lowered his fists breathing heavily "Damned kid." he said lightly unable to believe he had to do such to bring him down. Kyle reached up stabbing his sword into the ground as he tried to stand only managing to get up on one knee, his free hand gripping his chest that felt as if his sternum had been bent in. The old man watched him "Interesting. Few can get up after a blow like that." he said before he turned to leave.   
  
Kyle looked up as he noticed he was leaving but by the time he could finally stand on his own two feet the old man had vanished and left Kyle without so much as a name. Kyle fell back against the wall as he sheathed his blade and held his chest there was little pain but alot of ache to it. He started moving through the market slowly and as he came to an area with fewer people he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Kyle!" he turned around just in time to see Cassandra halt her feet scuffing the dirt up "Have you seen Link? Please tell me." she pleaded to know.  
  
Kyle softly pushed her away with one hand "Calm down. What is wrong?" as she looked at him the concern for her friend could easily be seen "We found a shard earlier and then this woman just appeared and went after Link. She could somehow tell he wasn't normal." Cassandra shifted her glance toward his odd posture "Are you alright?" she asked. Kyle looked at her "I'll be fine. Get back to the ship, if he has any common sense he'll fall back to where the others can help him." Cassandra nodded and ran off leaving the battle unworthy Kyle leaning against the wall.  
  
Back at the docks Link found himself pinned down, he knew that she was out there waiting for him. He had seen a similar style of stalking and hunting before and knew it was not to be underestimated or mocked. Link breathed as his senses were blurring, not as bad as before but all of the activity was triggering the monster's venom that was still somewhat in his blood stream. It seemed that most of those on deck had already gone below, all he could make out was Kilik, Sophitia, Maxi and somebody that he had never seen before. Eventually the pressure built up and he felt he had no choice, he reached up ripping the annoying bandanna away from his ears before he bolted out of the ally.  
  
Link felt that he must have been losing his edge as the second he left the alley the woman appeared jumping from the roof above turning an agile flip before landing right in front of him. Link got ready to move but she suddenly drew something up in her right hand, he could feel her energy charging into it before she hurled it right down at him. Link stepped back wincing his eyes expecting it to be a flash bomb of some sort, instead the second it hit the ground it went off in a powerful flameless explosion. Link was sent flying high into the air by its energies before he fell back to earth slamming into the ground on his back.  
  
The sound of the nearby explosion drew Sophitia's attention as well as the newcomer. Sophitia saw this and gasped knowing exactly what Taki must have thought "Oh no!" she shouted before she ran down the gangplank and toward the scene, Mitsurugi followed her as well. The huntress made her move as Link was now on his back shouting she sent herself into the air as he sat up. Link moved as quickly as he could trying to get up before an armored leg smashed into his chest pinning him to the ground, the sword on her shoulder flashed out of its sheath and then came down at him. Link winced his eyes shut [Gonna kill me! Shit!] his mind shouted in panic.  
  
There was then not a sound as the cold metal stopped, its razor edge just barely touching the flesh of Link's neck. [What the hell?] he questioned her mentally, she had him dead to rights and he couldn't seem to do much. Her left leg pinned him to the ground, her right stepped on his left keeping it from moving, her right hand held her sword to his neck and the other secured his other arm. [Does she want me to admit I lost before she kills me?] Link wondered right before the woman closed her eyes and spoke "As I thought. Your no demon in human form, otherwise you would have tossed it aside by now. What are you boy?" she asked still meaning business.  
  
Link breathed his eyes still narrowed at the woman as a voice called out "Taki don't!" Link then saw Sophitia standing there. This woman apparently called Taki whipped her head to the side to see the Athenian had come to a stop only a few yards away. Another voice came up calling out in another language that Link did no understand "Taki! Tairageru goshujin ittou!" he called out to her. The woman looked toward this man before she took her blade away from Link's neck and moved to stand to her feet.   
  
"Taki! Put down your sword!" she heard Mitsurugi call out to her. She did so standing up and sheathing her sword. The second he was freed up the sharp eared boy she had been hunting down quickly back flipped off the ground landing on his feet in a kneel still breathing heavily. Sophitia looked at Link noticing that his ears were now showing "Its alright, she is not our enemy Link." she said. The elf looked at the Athenian "Could have fooled me Sophitia. Or is it just my curse to be attacked by everybody I meet these days?" he asked quite irritated.  
  
The woman exhaled deeply as the other Athenian rushed up on to the scene with her sword drawn. Sophitia explained the situation to the younger girl before she could start something, she then turned her attention to the pride beaten Link. Taki raised a hand to her forehead "I suppose that I have some explaining to do don't I Sophitia? But first we should get your odd companion out of the streets." she said before she headed back to the ship, the man followed and the others did so after a few seconds.  
  
Next Chapter: Undecided (Open to suggestions)  
  
The demon huntress known as Taki Moyika explains herself before finally revealing their reasons for wanting their help as well. The Black Wind meanwhile lands on the shores of the Middle East and make their way into the desert where a shard of the Soul Edge rests. Drake starts his journey to the north but soon discovers the terrible power the wielder of this shard possesses, all signs drawn in human blood. 


	21. Union and Division

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Author's Note: I'm trying to keep this in the order of the game. The magic of Link's Great Fairy Sword as well as the Magic Sword and Magic Shield are both said to be stunned. Link can use no advanced magic in this world at will. But other weapons and items will appear but nothing that would be useless, such as the bombchus.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty: Union and Division  
  
Cassandra looked back down at the docks as she was the last of the small group to board the Eternal Wind, Link seemed to be a little annoyed at this point. Sophitia greeted Taki with a hug as she had of course saved her life seven years ago, while it seemed the Athenian warrior was very happy to see her even after what happened the assassin still remained monotone and alert to those around her. Link walked across the deck separating himself from the others. The swordsman looked at Link then to Raphael who had introduced himself earlier "Your companion is upset with a single defeat?" he asked.  
  
Link looked up before speaking from half way across the deck "No I'm just irritated." he began counting off on his fingers "Talim's people. Bandits. Cassandra. That Don in Istanbul. It seems I have to fight all those I meet." he pointed out a little annoyed. Taki lightly chuckled "My apologies. I thought you might have been something poorly disguised as a human." Link reached up lightly running his index finger over his ear lightly groaning. Taki nodded "And that wasn't all that gave you away. Your eyes are different as well." Link rolled them lightly as it was obvious that things stuck out more to her than other people.  
  
Raphael lightly chuckled as he brought up Flambert "Seems Sophitia's claims are no match for the real thing." Mitsurugi looked at the overconfident duelist "A lifetime of cheating death and embracing life will do that to any mortal." he stated rather insistently. Raphael nodded at this "I believe both myself and our company can relate to such. Does the lady have a name?" he asked toward the assassin. The woman crossed her arms under her chest before speaking out, calm and cool as before "You may call me Taki Moyika." Raphael nodded at this "The infamous shadow huntress from the Japan. Its an honor." he said with a light bow. She nodded her head as well.  
  
Xianghua looked across the deck before looking at the two "Hey wheres Yoshi. I thought he would be coming with you." Sophitia looked at Mitsurugi and Taki having not heard much on this mysterious man they called Yoshimitsu. Heishiro spoke up breaking the curious silence "He split off from us not long after we set out. He says that he is going to continue to follow the call of his sword." he said with a shrug. Maxi brought a hand to his chin thinking back on the stories the wise clan member called Yoshimitsu told him during his time in Japan "Sword? Oh yes. It was stolen not long after Nightmare's strange absence two years ago, right?"   
  
Taki nodded at this as she drew the sword she had threatened Link with polishing the perfect luster of the blade "Apparently he was attacked by a creature that moved in a very odd way, it went straight for his sword and ran away. That sword is the symbol of his clan, it holds the spirits of his bloodline as well." she said looking at the weapons Kilik and Xianghua held knowing they understood. "And anybody with self respect or pride wouldn't give up trying to get something like that back." Mitsurugi said gruffly. Everybody nodded at this knowing how their weapons seemed to be connected to them in some way, they were all worth more than their weight in gold or silver.  
  
Link nodded in understanding knowing just how enraged he was when his first sword was stolen from him. Suddenly he took notice of something and turned to Raphael "Where are Talim, Jack and the rest of your group? I thought they would be back soon." he said with concern in his voice. Raphael pointed toward the market without a word. Kilik leaned against the deck next to the elven before looking toward the group "I wouldn't worry about Strife or Mina, but Yunsung and Kutter are both very careless." he said in all honesty. Mitsurugi lightly turned his head toward the pirate from Ryukyu "Exactly how many people travel with you?" he asked hating crowds.  
  
Cassandra gulped as she herself remembered meeting Kyle a mile or so back. She quickly turned to Mitsurugi and Taki "Did either of you run into a man dressed in black with brown hair?" she asked wondering if they were responsible. Mitsurugi shook his head. Taki admitted she was too busy following her and Link. Suddenly there were footsteps from the ramp, they were silent and slowly taken this cued Mitsurugi to move his hand to his sword. Everybody looked at the young man as he stepped on board one arm holding his side, blood ran down from his lip and he had a few bruises on his face.  
  
Most everybody gawked at Kyle Strife as he huffed before moving his hand to the hilt of the Oblivion "And just what in the hell happened to you?" Raphael asked rather casually. Kyle growled lightly as he walked onto the ship and past the group obviously pretty annoyed by whatever had happened. Cassandra was about to ask if he was alright when he spoke up "Please don't talk to me." he said as he brought one hand to his forehead. Mitsurugi shrugged at the Korean decent swordsman, but Taki seemed to keep a watch on him. She could feel the energies that emanated from those two swords.   
  
Both of them were of the same make and of different color but they didn't fool her, she could feel the difference in these two Oni swords. The one he kept his grip on was that of a warrior, the other was that of a fighter. She sensed that neither energy seemed to be possessive of him and didn't seem to so much as tug at his soul. She then noticed the sword at her waist shaking in its sheath, the Mekki-Maru was responding to both him and the one she had chased down. She would have to keep an eye on both of them for the time being there was something otherworldly about the boy and something about Strife she did not trust.  
  
Sophitia noticed the gaze Taki had on the two of them and was a little nervous as she looked back toward her "Who are these people Sophitia? I thought there would be fewer." she said serious as always. Sophitia breathed before pointing out Kyle and Raphael "They are not part of the group, they are another team of seekers who are traveling with us for the time being." Mitsurugi knew what Sophitia ment by her tone, these people were as foolish as he had once been "I see." he stated lowly.   
  
Taki then turned her eyes to Link who sat on the railing of the ship looking out over the ocean, it was as if he was trying to find a difference in them "And just who exactly is he? He is like a human but different. Is he a half breed?" she asked. Cassandra stepped up before her sister could speak "Lets spare the questions okay. It is a very long story and he hates retelling it. Just assume he is a victim of the evil seed alright." Sophitia looked at her sister a little disturbed by her rudeness. Mitsurugi looked back at the elven, Taki did then same before nodding "Alright. But you had better tell me before long then." she said to Cassandra.  
  
Kilik and Xianghua watched these events from the helm and were both a little unsure of Taki and Mitsurugi working with them. Maxi looked at them as he noticed Kilik leaning on his staff "Both of them can be trusted, you guys don't need to worry. Personally I'm more concerned about Sorel and his group. They're hiding something." Maxi said. Kilik nodded grimly at this, last time Maxi had a hunch that something bad would happen they ran right into Nightmare and Astaroth at that castle in Germany.   
  
It wasn't long before most of them were gathered around the deck excluding Stephan and Michael who were loading up the hull with the supplies that would be needed for the next few months. Raphael and Kyle had returned to the Nightwraith and were pretty much just awaiting Mina's concern on what had happened to Kyle. Talim and Jack would also be going with them as well as they would be heading for the same place. Though something about the Four Blades just couldn't be trusted, just how far would they be willing to go to get the Soul Edge first.  
  
"Then it is decided. We will move to the West." Maxi said as the group finally came to an agreement to go after the sword itself instead of fooling around with the shards. Kilik and Xianghua both nodded at this as they were both anxious to finish off the Soul Edge and finally put an end to the Black Wind's still unknown plans. Sophitia seemed to be a little unanxious to confront Nightmare once again, she didn't know if she could fight him with the knowledge she possessed of him.  
  
Mitsurugi looked back at the Nightwraith as they saw Talim telling them that she wished to go with them along with Jack. Though it was obvious that Talim would continue to try and convince them of Soul Edge's nature he was skeptical. "Are you sure we shouldn't slow their movements toward the sword?" he asked hinting sabotage. Cassandra huffed as this was said "Why bother? They'll probably end up sinking themselves before they get close." Taki walked to the edge of the ship placing her hands on guard rails "Let them do as they wish. No matter their skill they have no clue as to what they are getting themselves into. We should leave as soon as possible though." she said rather sternly.   
  
It wasn't long until the entire group felt ready enough to push away from the harbor and head to the west. Talim watched from the deck of the Nightwraith as the Eternal Wind left ahead of them and even past Mina's interrogation of where Kyle got those bruises, Yunsung and Jack's mocking and Raphael's demanding they hurry up she could feel the wind. She closed her eyes as it swept over the deck of the small ship and continued on weaving through the designs on the rails. She breathed as she looked out over the ocean and whispered lightly "Where are you?"  
  
Drake watched from his place on the upper mast of the Nemesis as they approached the coast of Oman. The wind whipped over him as his right had held onto one of the ropes that secured the sails. Ivy had held him and Diablos back from leaving feeling that flying in the storm would be too dangerous, they now approached the middle east and with each passing moment they came closer to their targets. One shard deeper into the desert and another somewhere in the nearby high lands, the latter would be his own target. He looked down to see several of the force standing on one end of the ship. At least forty of their warriors and their captains. His mistress was also there along with the commander and her unwanted father.  
  
He found himself now dressed in all black, from the pants to the jacket he was as dark as the ship's sails. He was also armed with a pair of short bladed katana's now. Readied in the same fashion as the Japanese demon hunters who used even shorter blades. The one on the reverse of his waist possessed a deep blue ribbon wrapped grip, and the one over his right shoulder possessed a burgundy ribbon wrapped grip. They were a pair of swords from the place he was raised, each of them blessed by nature they were called the Southern Wind and Northern Wind.  
  
It wasn't long before the sails were being pulled up by the remaining crew that were going nowhere, he found that the Nemesis had taken dock along the side of a rock formation. A ramp was dropped from the right side landing on the side of the rocky coast. Drake renewed his grip on the rope the fingerless leather gloves keeping the burn off his hands as he dropped off the side slowly dropping to the deck. The wood creaked under his feet as he stood up walking off the boat along with the several Lizardmen and Uruk-hai. Ivy rode on a well trimmed black horse, he walked behind her "Are you ready?" she asked him simply.  
  
He nodded before she held something out to him, he looked at it able to tell what it was. It was the same thing issued to the squad leaders of the grunts, a crystal of blood red that would pick up just how close one was to a soul shard. Ivy looked at him "We'll be heading deeper into the desert. De Leon believes that it shouldn't be any more than a three day trip. Are you sure you want to go on foot?" Drake took a few steps forward "I don't feel like putting a poor animal through hell in these rocky regions." he said before continuing on. Ivy then watched him walk off before she turned to join the large group. The Nemesis then moved away to conceal itself somewhere from any passing ships.  
  
Drake looked back as he placed on foot up on a rock looking as the force lead by Nightmare vanished beyond view. Surely wherever they went to claim the shard Nightmare had felt would turn into a bloody massacre should they show resistance or not. However it mattered little to Drake as he only had his assignment in mind, to retrieve the shard and return it to the Black Wind or if that should prove impossible to prevent any other force from getting it even if it requires he destroy it. Drake continued on to the north only three days later to receive a clue of what he would face.  
  
The storm had been long and the sky had become dark as Drake continued to journey forward coming closer to the mountainous region of the country. The gem given to him by Ivy had glowed a great deal of crimson just hours before showing that somebody had used it. It wasn't long until he found it. All dropped almost in a circle were over a dozen Arabian warriors, possibly thieves or bandits of the deserts and mountains. A few of them were gathered up in a pile and what looked like large foot prints were on the ground.  
  
Drake stood in the center of all of this, the sand had been stained red with the blood of these men and their bodies had been left to ruin. But Drake was worried over one simple fact, there were only one set of these large footprints and it appeared that several different weapons had been used to slay these men and there were odd marks around the entrance wounds. The rain continued to fall as the thunder cracked and sounded above, Drake shook his head as he spoke "What kind of power did this?" he asked himself.  
  
Drake shook his head as he looked back as the wind blew almost as if to urge him forward after whoever had slaughtered these men. Drake nodded "I understand." he whispered almost as if he was conversing with the element "Self defense is one thing. But slaughtering those who run and are no threat to one is another." he stated. With this said he continued onward toward the mountains with no clue that he would come face to face with more than he could imagine or wish.  
  
TBC...  
  
Next Chapter: Final Preparation  
  
The two groups land in Oman only to make a discovery. The Soul Edge itself has managed to hide itself from Talim's delicate senses. With only one choice the teams choose different ways to travel knowing that the Black Wind will be after at least one of the shards. On the way Sophitia and Link have a talk as the Athenian maiden shares her great fault: Her inability to face Nightmare again. 


	22. Final Preparation

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Author's Notes: I did a little bit of revising namely changing Zack's name to Jack for the sake of the story and time, I think it sounds a little better for a former pirate gone mercenary.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-One: Final Preparation  
  
It was another three days at sea for the Eternal Wind who had taken off in hopes of beating the Four Blades to the Soul Edge, they felt they couldn't risk them getting to it first. Unfortunately thanks to Kyle and Raphael's persistence and Naoyuki's skill at piloting the swift Nightwraith they had caught up in no time and the Eternal Wind had been having a hard enough time keeping up with the Nightwraith until they finally reached the coast of Oman. Everybody seemed to be prepared to face them on both sides however the one warrior whom they expected to take down Nightmare seemed a little shaken.  
  
Sophitia Alexandra had seemed a little off the last few days but the others ignored it at her request feeling that she could deal with whatever troubled her. Link however had taken a heavy concern to Cassandra's sister, he had experience several times what it was like to fight with emotion in the way it was a nearly impossible feat. While many onboard would argue that there was no way in hell she could have any positive emotion about Nightmare Link was skeptical. Seeing how the shard of Soul Edge had changed Garen Shiekan, his best friend and partner he could see what the main body could do to a person. Having to look upon that face while fighting would not be easy if they recognized it as somebody else.  
  
Both ships landed at a harbor south of the rougher parts of the country, here they were guaranteed that their ships would be watched and be taken care of, they could also rent some horses or camels for the journey ahead. Taki stepped down off the ship and looked around the harbor, she was dressed in a casual kimono seeing as how she had no need to be wearing her demon slaying attire. She looked down gripping the handle of the Mekki-Maru as she noticed its vibrations. She drew it slowly and held it out and noticed the choice they'd have to make, she sheathed it before shaking her head. This was a real problem.   
  
She looked back lightly as she heard footsteps. The boy she had fought (or chased rather) earlier that week and the Sophitia's sister both stepped off the ship, it was odd that in the last week they had gotten pretty close. Taki smiled mentally at just how open minded the Athenians were, anybody from her country would consider Link an outsider and try to avoid him, if not try to take his head off. From the way Cassandra spoke with him and acted around him Taki was willing to bet she hardly noticed the differences. Taki remembered what it was like to be their age although with her training and the demons it was hard to have any out in the open romance. Though it wasn't to say she lacked any in her history.  
  
Taki mentally kicked herself for both bringing up such thoughts in the middle of this chase and making assumptions on the pair, it wasn't her business anyway to make guesses on the depth of their relationship. She would leave any judgement up to those who had that right, it wasn't like Taki had any sort of connection in any way to the Athenians or the elven swordsman. She looked back as she heard more footsteps, Kilik and Xianghua came down after Link and Cassandra stepped onto the docks to check the ropes holding the ship. Kilik approached Taki still holding his rod.  
  
Taki didn't look back at him as she secured her cursed sword in its sheath her movements very slow showing something was amiss. Kilik looked at her "What's wrong demon huntress?" he asked simply. She looked back before speaking swiftly "Two shards. That's all I feel out there." she said before walking back up toward the ship. Kilik turned toward her "You want to run that by me again?" he practically ordered. Taki looked back huffing "There are two energies. I can't tell if either are the Soul Swords and thus cannot tell if the Azure Nightmare is here." she said. Xianghua looked up crossing her arms over her chest muttering curses in Chinese.  
  
"I think we're having the same problems." Xianghua turned to see Yunsung and Raphael approaching them. Xianghua placed a hand on her sword knowing that it could get ugly being that they were now so close to the sword. Kilik sighed as they approached them "What do the two of you want?" he asked annoyed at their presence. Raphael looked Kilik dead in the eyes having had enough of keeping his cool in the chase for the sword "We want to know where Soul Edge is but we're having no luck with Kyle's sixth sense." the french duelist explained. Taki looked at him from her place on the gangplank "And you actually think that we would tell you, a group of fools that seek to use the sword?" she asked.   
  
Yunsung turned to glare at Taki "Just who the hell are you?" he demanded to know, the woman didn't so much as flinch. She was actually even more steady than Kyle. Link spoke up from behind "I wouldn't, she is not somebody to be insulted randomly." he said before looking back across the ocean. Yunsung looked back at the woman to see than she was no longer there, in the time it took him to look toward Link she had already traveled away from the platform to join Xianghua and Kilik "They are in one of two directions that is for sure. Didn't you say another with you had a much sharper sense of it." Kilik nodded.   
  
Raphael breathed as he looked at Flambert on his belt "It seems that we have to do something and cooperate on it. Strife said it would be wise if both of our groups be prepared before we head off, we should meet outside town, agree on where to go and we can fight over the sword once one of us gets it." "I don't think so." Raphael turned his eyes to see the samurai from India standing there. He stepped down from the gangplank his sword at his side "If we manage to get the sword first it will be destroyed. If you get it you might as well be condemning yourselves because you'll be the new target." Raphael narrowed his eyes at these threats and Yunsung stepped forward "I'd love to see you try." he dared. Mitsurugi huffed at his before turning his attention elsewhere.  
  
Yunsung and Raphael eventually left not wanting to build anymore hostility between the two groups, Cassandra watched as they walked off "They have no clue what they are getting in to." she said with contempt. "True. That is why they should never reach the sword, they're ambition would be in vain at that point." Link said as he watched them walk off. Cassandra looked at the out of town swordsman oddly, he had probably seen his share of action but was he actually concerned for these guys that wanted to continue the existence of that blade? Perhaps he was more merciful than she had originally believed.  
  
Mitsurugi, Kilik and Xianghua eventually started off into town, Cassandra noticed their movements and spoke up "Where are the three of you off to?" she asked rather rudely. Kilik looked back toward her as Link and Taki had returned to the ship to gather what they would need for the journey though it was obvious that the demon slayer doubted the younger warriors ability to make the journey without aid. He soon spoke "It's the desert Cassandra. We're going to see what kind of deal we can on some transportation, or would you rather walk?" Cassandra shrugged before turning to walk back on board "Excuse me for being concerned." she shot back.  
  
Link dropped his bag on the deck as he came up from the holds dropping his shield on top of it as well, at his waist he wore the sword that Sophitia had commissioned her husband to create for him it had stood up well so far. Across his back was the blade that he had brought from his own homeland, the stunning sapphire blue was much more welcome than the dull gray shades of the Athenian blade. Taki spoke up as she noticed this "What need would you have for an extra sword?" she asked him as she spied the obvious better. Link breathed as Taki really didn't seem to trust him, it was obvious she wouldn't buy the Evil Seed story.  
  
Link looked to her and spoke as he reached up to grip the broader blade "Lets just say that this blade will be a great deal more useful if the Soul Edge and this Nightmare are anywhere near the power Sophitia claims." he said before he returned to checking his things. Taki shrugged lightly as she pulled her bag up onto her shoulder looking at the elven "Well I wouldn't concern yourself. Sophitia will be the one fighting Nightmare, after being injured by the Soul Edge and her mental training she is probably immune to any of its temptations, and those who defeated Nightmare first seem to have other plans." she said referring to Kilik and Xianghua.   
  
It didn't take long before all of them had assembled on the dock excluding the likes of Talim and Kutter being that both of them were along with the Four Blades group. Maxi looked back at the brothers who would be staying in town with the ship as well and Juan "I'm trusting you guys with this ship so you'd better take good care of her." he said. Stephan chuckled under his breath at this "I know we will otherwise there will be hell to pay right?" Maxi nodded "Your finally getting it I see." he said before turning and walking off. He looked to Sophitia who walked on ahead something seemed to really be getting to her but it wasn't like she would tell him.  
  
Everybody met up with Kilik, Xianghua and Mitsurugi on the edge of town and they looked into the desert that wasn't far from them Kilik stood out in the sand holding the Kali-Yuga up in front of him in a meditation stance toward the desert. Taki walked ahead of the group to her partner and looked at him expecting an explanation "He's trying to go deeper and see if he can detect which is stronger. Chai had no luck and she has encountered the sword before." Taki didn't like this. Nightmare had obviously felt them and had somehow put a mask over the power of his blade to keep it from being detected, all they could feel was the aura of the blades and fragments. Though the rumors of a small army moving from the coast gave them knowledge that one of the two signals was their target.  
  
Kilik eventually dropped his hands and shook his head "Its no good. The Soul Edge it obviously lying dormant, probably conserving energy for when it is needed. There are two signals of that energy, one to the West and one to the North." Sophitia sighed as she heard this they had to take this gamble now. "Well in that case we will be heading to the West then." everybody turned to see Raphael and the other members of the Four Blades, including the tag alongs Talim and Jack Kutter. Cassandra looked at the french man as he said this knowing that there would probably be conflict as they would expect Nightmare to remain with his people.  
  
Yunsung looked at Talim as she stepped forward taking a breath as she stepped out, Cassandra huffed "Oh great now what?" she asked. Link looked at her "Talim's senses are much purer than our own, she is a priestess after all and she is the one who managed to lead me all the way to your group." Cassandra nodded as Link finished with one major detail "She can apparently read the messages of the wind." Cassandra watched Talim, she wasn't even sure who Talim was with anymore being that she had been hanging with the Four Blades recently.   
  
Talim lowered her hands before she turned back to them "A small group of about fifty people has set out to the West from the coast there is an aura among them however there is also another to the north. I detect a high amount of power from whoever it is. It feels like a fragment." Yunsung spoke up "I say we follow the group. Why would Nightmare wander off like that." Sophitia then cut in deciding to end this.  
  
"Nobody says that Nightmare is even in this area, we cannot be sure if these people on the move are merchants, mercenaries, thieves or a flock of birds. But this could be a win-win situation for both of us. Perhaps the reason we cannot tell which is which is because they both carry fragments and not the swords." Yunsung cut her off at this point "Whoa! Are you telling me that we may not even be near the blades, why did you come here then?!" he shouted. Sophitia looked at him a little annoyed "I felt a very powerful signal, can't say which direction it came from however. But assume the Black Wind is here one of us will walk away with one of the swords or at least a fragment."  
  
There was a tense silence among all of them as Sophitia brought about this theory of hers and the Four Blades didn't know which direction to head in, the shards were valuable to many people and they could be used to track the sword further. Kyle suddenly spoke up "We shall head to the North then." everybody in the group looked at him "Why?" Raphael questioned. Kyle spoke "Think about it. Nightmare is obviously not in the mood with all the shard hunters running around, if I were him I would set out to some remote place while my people do whatever horrible thing they were going to do. And that is of course if these people are the Black Wind." Raphael breathed not wanting any more confrontation between the two groups "Alright we'll do this your way." he grumbled.  
  
Talim looked at her group before taking a breath "I'll be going with them for the time being. I have a feeling that you probably won't need me if you guys are the ones to fight a group like in Istanbul." Jack nodded at Talim's words "I'll go with her. Something tells me that bullets won't do much good if it comes down to it." with this said they both walked to the smaller group. Both of them had their bags but Link's eyes fell upon Talim knowing that she had been tracking something else, he nodded to her, she nodded back unseen.  
  
Mitsurugi looked at Sophitia who stated that she really didn't care, the samurai then turned to Maxi who was essentially the next in command seeing as how he was the one that got them this far on his ship. Maxi turned and nodded his head to them "Alright guys. I suppose we'll need to get some feed back on what happens. We'll wait back at the port for you rather or not our finds turn out valid." Talim and Jack both nodded before walking back to the group who stood at the exiting gates of the town..   
  
Mina held onto the reigns of three horses as she waited, slowly she looked to Kyle who stood there calm and collected as always "What happens if we really do run into Nightmare or De Leon?" she asked. Kyle looked at her simply as he held his own horse "We kill them and keep whatever sword away from both of them, neither of them can be trusted with it." he said as he looked toward Raphael and Yunsung. Kyle spoke again "Yunsung is rash and refuses to reveal his purpose for chasing the sword. Raphael is the same way but doesn't plan to use it only for himself. But apparently that wouldn't matter. That thing is inertly evil." Mina nodded to this.  
  
It wasn't much longer before the group called the Four Blades left along with Talim and Kutter, everybody turned to Sophitia who had given such a display of knowledge on the sword. Maxi spoke up "Hey, did you and Talim take some time to plot this?" he asked her, she looked toward where the Four Blades were heading and nodded. She looked back to them "When I lost my ability to hear the Gods my own pureness began to blur, soon I won't be able to sense anything at all. All I can feel are the auras of the shards and sword but I cannot feel out the difference in strength." she confessed.  
  
She then looked up to them and took a breath "But Talim is different. Her people worship the elements and are able to feel the world through them. She told me she saw it in her dreams. She leader of the dark army moved with his troops and he sent one of his own out into the desert to hunt for another shard. She is leading the Four Blades away. We will definately run into Nightmare." Cassandra breathed having been a little hopeful that they wouldn't run into that sort of opponent. She had heard of Nightmare's rumored skill and ability before he got the Soul Edge and his immense physical power.  
  
Taki looked at Sophitia as she took a deep breath, she stepped forward placing a hand on her cursed weapon "Don't worry. Your not the only one able to feel out the shards. We should continue as soon as possible. We need to catch up to them before they do any damage." Kilik nodded as he held out the reigns to the five horses they had managed to buy "My thoughts exactly. Saddle up." the group took some time to load up their bags onto the horses backs. Sophitia really seemed to be in a depressed state as she climbed up onto one of the six horses. Cassandra was concerned but decided not to approach her.  
  
Sophitia took one horse after loading up her sword, shield and bag, she clutched the reigns as she moved up toward the front. Kilik took one of the larger horses that would be able to support two light people, they would be himself and Xianghua. Kilik then noticed Link looking at one of the horses and smiling "What's up?" he asked simply. Link looked toward him before giving a chuckle "Nothing. Just another thing that reminds me of home." he said before saddling up confident the smaller horse would be able to support him and his equipment.   
  
Mitsurugi look the forth horse which was the largest, with the armor he brought with him he would need a horse with enough muscle to not be slowed by forty plus pounds of metal and wood. Maxi took the fifth horse and looked back "We have a problem." he said toward the others as their final two members were left horseless. Taki rolled her eyes before moving toward Maxi's horse and tying her bag to its side, she then climbed up sitting behind him "Don't get any ideas pirate." she said flat out. Maxi chuckled before looking ahead "I'd never dream of it." he responded.  
  
Cassandra breathed as she first looked toward her sister, it was obvious that a smaller horse would not be able to support both of them and their luggage. Suddenly a voice came "Seems we'll have to ride together." she looked to see Link sitting on the horse he had taken looking toward her welcoming her. Cassandra smiled before she walked over and tied her things to Sophitia's horse and then mounted up behind Link, the colt had no problem carrying both of them. Sophitia spoke up soon enough "We head West. Lets go." she gave her horse a kick and they began moving.   
  
Link looked back as Cassandra as she brought her arms around his abdomen as they would be riding at high speeds once they reached open sands "What is wrong with Sophitia? She doesn't seem as collected as she normally is." he pointed out. Cassandra looked and thought hard unable to see what the problem was "I really don't know. I don't think I've ever really seen her like this before, its almost as if she has lost that amount of determination she has always carried while going after the sword." Link looked back ahead as the horse began to trot into the sand. Emotions. He could tell. The biggest disadvantage one could have in battle.  
  
The group rode the rest of the day and into the night until they all found themselves tired from fatigue and stopped to rest. Obviously stopping in the middle of the desert was far from a good idea so they continued until they found some of the large rock formations that seemed to honey comb the rugged desert. Two tents were set up to shield the group from the wind and between the two tents was a fire where most of them sat around. Kilik and Xianghua were tending to the horses and Sophitia had taken one of them and said she would be back soon before riding out, her frustration seemed to have been much higher at this point.  
  
Maxi winced once again as Mitsurugi dragged a rough piece of steel down the edge of his sword effectively sharpening it "You sharpen it any more it will end up going right through its sheath." Maxi complained. Link nodded as his more sensitive ears were taking in even more of the scratching sound "I concur." he stated. Taki looked at Maxi before speaking up "He does this when he's waiting. Sophitia has been gone some time. Do you know where she went?" Taki said as she looked toward Cassandra who sat next to Link.  
  
Cassandra looked out to the south which was the direction her sister had headed in "I don't know. She just said that she needed some time to get her head together before any confrontation and then rode off. Something is troubling her." Mitsurugi stopped in mid stroke before looking to the younger Athenian "I don't care if I don't know her but that is the last thing we need before we go into battle. It would probably be a good idea if you go and talk to her." Maxi looked up not expecting such a display of human concern from the ever serious samurai.  
  
Taki nodded to Cassandra "You are her sister after all." the younger Athenian sighed before she stood up brushing herself off and walked toward the horses. "Hey." she heard from behind, she turned just in time to catch her sword and shield. Link stepped up to her carrying his own "I'll go with you. If these deserts are anything like the ones I've been through their crawling with thieves among other things." with this said they quickly picked a horse that wasn't sleeping and headed out into the desert following the hoof prints left behind by the other.  
  
Next Chapter: Emotions Conflict  
  
Cassandra and Link eventually find a very restless and frustrated Sophitia, they do however manage to learn the truth as to why she cannot go against Nightmare again. Meanwhile Mitsurugi and the others discuss a few things, that is until going off track and into one another's personal lives. Something that Taki Moyika has never been gifted at speaking of.   
  
  
  
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	23. Emotions Conflict

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two: Emotions Conflict  
  
Cassandra looked up over Link's shoulder as he lead the horse to follow the tracks that Sophitia's had left behind in the dirt and sand. The warm desert wind blew at them as they rode fast across the seemingly endless plains of the rocky desert, but Link didn't seem to halt the horse as he pushed on. Cassandra reinforced her hold around Link's abdomen as the horse soon reached the edge of a hill in the distance they could see the light of what appeared to be a small fire in the distance. Link gripped the reigns in his hands as he looked back to Cassandra "Be on your guard." he said in a tone that made Cassandra tense up.  
  
Link gave the horse a soft kick to the side and it moved first down the hill and then began to go into full gallop once it reached the straight flat terrain of the desert. Cassandra's short hair blew in the wind as she held onto Link, the sword on his back didn't clatter within it's sheath as they moved. It might have just been the moonlight but Cassandra could swear that there was some sort of a light from the blade's hilt. It wasn't long before they began to come up upon the fire which seemed to have been built in the middle of some ruins, several pillars surrounded the fire and it seemed to have been abandoned.   
  
Link jumped off the horse kicking up sand as he landed, he then helped Cassandra off the horse but as she stepped off her foot got tangled in the stirrups and she fell, right on top of Link. The Hylian's back hit the sand as well as he broke Cassandra's fall, this was right before he noticed the proximity of their lips. Cassandra looked down at him softly not moving at all, Link was the same way as he looked up at her, it was as if both of them were entranced by one another's eyes in this rather unusual position. Cassandra didn't really know why but she didn't feel so out of place where she was, her hands almost didn't want to push up off of his chest.  
  
Link in all trueness didn't know what to think at this point. He had to admit that he did like Cassandra a lot but he didn't know what actions would upset or please her. But now probably wasn't the time to think of getting close, and the feel of his shield's end poking into his back wasn't exactly comfortable. Cassandra eventually broke off the stare and slowly stood up pushing off of him before offering her hand "Sorry, not used to these things." she said referring to the saddle. Link took her hand and she pulled him to his feet "No problem." he said hoping that the night was concealing any blush upon his face.  
  
The two of them looked back toward the ruins as Cassandra looked at the horse which seemed to relax itself probably wanting to catch some sleep like its partners. Cassandra also knew that it wasn't going anywhere considering that it was the desert and it was night the animal had the instinct to not run off blindly into the darkness. Link stepped one foot onto the old steps of these ruins that probably belonged to a merchant long ago that would offer service to travelers in the desert, at least that was his guess. Cassandra followed as well holding her sword in her right hand while Link walked toward the shadows of the ruins.   
  
The fire had been made fairly recently and it seemed to have started burning off of a piece of fabric and some stray wood. A lantern sat next to the entrance of the ruins, they were small ruins it was probably no more than a single room shelter for travelers. Cassandra moved forward picking it up and stepped into the room in front of Link who removed his sword from its sheath. There was a suddenly swooping sound as something cut the air, it was immediately followed by a sound of metal scrapping stone and sparks were seen from a corner of the room.   
  
Cassandra looked over holding the lamp up to place more light on the room, somebody stood there holding a sword in one hand and gripped its sheath in the other. "Sophitia?" Cassandra said out as Link lowered his weapon. The figure looked back revealing Sophitia's form to the light while she seemed to still be herself she was clearly very upset about something. Proof was the fact that the wall had been struck constantly with the extra sword she carried, the Omega Sword was still at her side but her spare weapon was now beyond use.   
  
Sophitia looked back toward them as the took the ruined sword and tossed it to the side the blade broke in half as it hit the floor, she dropped the sheath as well "What are you doing here Cassandra?" she asked. Cassandra blinked at her sister as she said this, her voice was both harsh and cold she was not acting at all like herself. Was this why she ran off? Sophitia then turned her eyes toward Link as he sheathed the sword she had commissioned her husband to forge for him, she huffed lightly at his presence obviously feeling that whatever was going on was none of his business.  
  
Cassandra eventually spoke after a few tense moments "We...and the others were worried about you because you didn't return before dark. They suggested we find you." Sophitia huffed at this before lightly turning away "The desert is a dangerous place Sophitia." Link stated to back up the group's concern. Sophitia looked back to both of them as if triggered by Link's words "Well you can tell all of them that I can take care of myself. If I run into any trouble I'll deal with it." Sophitia then walked away from the wall toward them, Cassandra lightly stepped back as she saw the amount of anger in Sophitia's eyes as she took the lantern from her sister "You should both return at once. I'll be back in the morning." she said before she started to walk away.   
  
Cassandra at first felt a little afraid but then found her hands clinching into fists as she dared to dismiss both of them. Senior or not she was still her younger sister for Athena's sake! She took a step forward stamping her foot onto the stone to grab Sophitia's attention "What the hell is wrong with you Sophitia?! What are you hiding?!" she shouted. Sophitia turned back lightly toward her sister and gave a light sigh before looking up with the same leer of anger in her eyes "Your too young to understand Cassandra. Just go away and leave me alone!" she shouted suddenly before turning her back to them rather swiftly.   
  
Cassandra trembled with both anger and sorrow as she still couldn't believe she had just been denied by her own sister. Cassandra looked up as she heard a few soft footprints from her right, Link walked by and started toward Sophitia not exactly looking pleased himself as his left hand gripped the hilt of the sword rather tightly. Sophitia looked back from where she was to see Link walking up "Stay away from me!" she shouted at the foreign warrior, Link didn't flinch at all not out of surprise, fear or respect. He just kept walking toward Sophitia.   
  
Sophitia continued to look over her shoulder as Link approached holding her husband's sword pointed toward the ground. She narrowed her eyes as she toward him swiping one hand through the air threatening him as he crossed the fifteen feet line "I said go away!" she shouted. Link spoke suddenly his voice deep with seriousness forged over time through battles "I hear clearly what you say Sophitia. But I'm not leaving this place until you tell your sister what is going on. I believe she has a right to know." Sophitia took in a few quick breaths as Link stopped five feet from her, his eyes locked with hers.  
  
Cassandra watched from her place across the room as this happened, Link might as well have been comparing himself to Hercules doing such a thing. Link watched Sophitia's eyes clearly as she took a step back, her eyes calmed themselves of their piercing glare and he could then see something past the anger. It was a look of depression and anxiety. Link slowly parted his lips before speaking "I see now Sophitia. Your not angry, if so its only at yourself." he said. Cassandra took a step forward as he said this "What?" both her and Sophitia murmured under their breath.  
  
The elven swordsman continued to speak only causing Sophitia to feel more and more closed in "Your eyes betray you Sophitia. Your filled with distress and confusion. You haven't a clue of what is going on. Your afraid, its okay to be afraid." Sophitia clinched her fist before taking a swing at Link's head "I am not afraid!" she shouted. Link stepped back just getting out of the way before moving forward to shove Sophitia hard against the wall, she fell down into a sitting position obviously having the breath sent from her lungs. Cassandra started running over as she saw this wondering now what the hell Link was thinking.  
  
Link spoke a final time before Cassandra could interrupt him "Snap out of it Sophitia. I don't know about the others but you don't have to prove yourself to me or your sister." Sophitia lowered her head to look at the floor just as Cassandra came up pulling Link away "What the hell are you doing?" she shouted at Link. "How..." Sophitia suddenly said in what was almost a whimper, she then looked clearly at Link "How can you possibly read me like that?!" she cried out fighting off tears of defeat.  
  
Link took a breath before he closed his eyes, he was going to start speaking of his past. Cassandra had noticed that he did this prior to doing so "I've seen this look in a persons eyes before Sophitia. It is a very rare clash of the human conscience, when one's strong personal feelings clash with and oath or their own responsibility." Cassandra looked at Sophitia, what could she possibly feel urged to do but also feel unable "In my homeland they call this the conflict of emotions, and it can cause the kind of anxiety that can ruin anybody." Sophitia breathed as this was said to her.  
  
Cassandra looked to Link as she kneeled to her sister asking her what was happening "Come on sis. What is going on? If your scared please tell me what of. Please!" she begged holding her sister's shoulders. Sophitia looked down toward the ground clinching her fists hard "Nightmare." she said simply and rather swiftly. Cassandra looked at her sister as this was said this "Nightmare? Why?" she was confused. Sophitia had been ready to slay Nightmare two years ago but never seemed to speak of it and up until now had seemed ready to face him once again. Sophitia trembled as she looked at the ground "I do not fear the man I just...I cannot fight him Cassandra!" she shouted as she looked up tears streaking her cheeks.  
  
Link closed his eyes as he stood against the wall. All of this was beginning to take its toll on his limited amount of patience, it was all falling together as it did during the time Soul Edge's fragments were in Hyrule. Cassandra spoke "I don't understand." she said as she comforted her sister. Sophitia sniffed lightly "You know how Kilik and Xianghua confronted Nightmare. Before they did I was there and I met with him, but when I saw his face I couldn't bring myself to end his existence." Cassandra looked at her sister "You mean to tell us you know who Nightmare was before he because what Soul Edge has made him?!"   
  
Sophitia nodded and she continued "He also hesitated greatly when he saw me, we both had were basically left fireless by this. And judging by how long Nightmare has been around he was probably only Talim's age when he obtained the sword. Considering that he stopped and didn't just cut me down he didn't give himself to the sword, he would never!" there was silence before she continued. She whipped her tears and spoke "I thought I would try again and give him a clean death by as the days have passed I've been replaying it in my mind and I now know that I will not be able to look into that face and fight." Cassandra breathed as she held her sister.  
  
Link spoke up suddenly "I can understand how you must feel Sophitia. You and the one that was another before Nightmare, you were close weren't you?" he asked wanting to know just how deep this went. Sophitia breathed before speaking "We met each other during my first journey and we both hunted the Soul Edge. We grew very...close." she said stressing the last word. Needless to say Cassandra was more than a little shocked by this revelation, it was like asking Sophitia to kill one of the team. Somebody she knew and trusted.  
  
There was a long tense silence from the three of them as Sophitia fought off her tears enough to look at them muttering once again that she would be useless against him. Link heard this and looked up with a deep resolve in his eyes "Fine then. If you cannot fight him then I will." he says flat out leaving no room for interruption. Sophitia looked up at Link as he said this and was about to cut in but he continued "I will do what I was sent here to do. I will pry Soul Edge from his hands and take it out of existence. Sophitia, you have my word that if it is at all possible I will do all I can to only destroy the sword and not the one it manipulates." he said before starting out.  
  
Sophitia got up her courage and spoke up "Link!" she called out. He turned his head back to look at her, Sophitia looked at him and spoke "I appreciate your concern but you have no idea what your getting into." Cassandra placed a hand on her tired sister's shoulder "I don't think any of us do. We can make up some sort of a plan when we get back. Tell him everything you can of his style, anything that can be useful." Sophitia let this wash over her and then looked to Link nodding her head "You have any support I can give." she said gratefully. Link looked at both of them "Your brave Sophitia but one shouldn't let their own devotion make them heartless." he said before he started to walk over.   
  
He knelt down taking the lantern and looking at them "We should probably head back. We can talk this over in the morning." Sophitia nodded and allowed Link to help her to her feet, she then left the shrine to her own horse that was around the back. Link breathed before he started out "Link please wait." he looked back to Cassandra as she walked up looking as if she was at a loss for words. "Your going to risk your life for my sister? Are you seriously going to go up against Nightmare?!" she asked almost as if she was in partial distress.  
  
Link breathed as he looked back at Sophitia as she rode away from the shrine "More than half of my life has been spent fighting in some way or form. There is no likely way for me to get back to my home. As for Sophitia, Talim and I spent the night at her house before leaving Athens. She has a husband to return to not to mention the rest of her family, they plan on having children when this is all over. I am not about to let her risk her life when she fells it is futile." Cassandra looked at him and looked at him "Thank you, I don't know what to say." Link however didn't seem as positive as before.  
  
He sighed before he spoke "It's just better if I fight Nightmare and die than if she does. She would be defeated before she even drew her sword going in with such emotions while the Soul Edge makes Nightmare heartless. I've seen enough tears in my life and I'm sick of them. Besides if I died who in this world would care?" he then started to walk out. Cassandra lightly looked at the floor as she once again saw his longing for his home "I'd care..." she said to herself before following. It wasn't long before they were both on their way back to camp but Link was silent the whole way. Though she was thankful for taking the responsibility off Sophitia's shoulders Cassandra still felt and aching in her heart for him.  
  
Meanwhile back at the camp the remaining five members of the group had finally gotten on another subject outside their encounters with Soul Edge: Their personal lives. Mitsurugi lightly rolled his eyes as Maxi asked him once again if there was anybody special in his life "Look at our current scenario, what do you think?" he said as he leaned back inhaling the tobacco he had brought with him. Kilik and Xianghua sat back not knowing how this had gotten started but both of them wanted to know more about these two who had thus far given no information about their pasts or personal lives.  
  
Maxi shrugged before he continued "Well ever before?" he asked. Mitsurugi in response looked toward Taki drawing out his sword a few inches, he gave a light grin "Are you sure we need him?" Maxi grumbled at this as he sat back knowing he wasn't getting anything from Mitsurugi "Hard ass." he said simply. Taki smirked in a chuckle as she continued looking over some of her equipment, it was entertaining to see Mitsurugi show what little sense of humor he possessed but the man was a complete lock down on his past. He possessed a life time military career and he was one of the finest, it wasn't like he gave much concentration to relationships.   
  
Xianghua suddenly spoke up to the somewhat more social Taki Moyika "Well what about you?" Taki looked up at Xianghua placing down one of the throwing stars she had been cleaning "Has there ever been anybody special in your life?" Taki looked at Xianghua as she was asked this "Your joking right?" Taki asked dryly. Xianghua rolled her eyes at the much older warrior before speaking "Oh come on. Look at yourself there is no way you can say that you've never had it with somebody. Or are you truly that desperate to be alone." Taki huffed as she crossed her arms "Why are you three so desperate to know such intimate pieces of our lives? It isn't like you have a right to pry." she said sternly toward the Chinese girl.  
  
Mitsurugi sighed before speaking up "If it will shut you up it isn't like I'm completely uncaring. But most people around my area wait till later in their lives to start a family. So your not going to get much from me." this seemed to silence the three of them. Taki slowly stood up before walking away "Love has already crossed me, and I'm not going to let it distract me again." she said as she retired to her tent. Kilik spoke up as Taki forcefully closed one of the flaps "Lets change the subject before one of us gets angry." he said. They all agreed.   
  
Taki huffed as she placed all of her equipment back in her bag, everything that they had just asked her only served to irritate her. Mainly because in her training such feelings as desire were made to be seen as illusions, being asked such things got to her because she felt that it was her only failing. Not being able to see it as an illusion. Her anger seemed to melt away as she found something in her luggage, she removed what appeared to be a small silver chain that was very finely crafted. There was a disc shapped charm on it as well which bore a few runes which appeared to be a family seal of sorts.  
  
She closed her eyes as she softly closed her hand around it and placed it around her neck with care looking at it and giving a gentle sigh. A single tear ran down her cheek which she swiftly whipped away, she then laid back closing her eyes. She didn't need to be recollecting so much before heading into this confrontation. But still she couldn't help but wonder just what had become of him after she left the clan to protect her sword.  
  
Next Chapter: Another Shattered Sword  
  
The Black Wind finally locates the shard of Soul Edge that was buried beneath the sands of the desert however as the storm rolls in so does the White Wind. However it becomes apparent that there is nothing that resembles light remaining in the Azure Nightmare. But how does a shard of an infamous spirit sword fit into all of this?  
  
NOTE: I need reviews for inspiration. Please don't forget to. Also please tell me should more be revealed on Taki's love life or should it remain a mystery? 


	24. Another Shattered Sword

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
NOTE: I do have my plans for Taki but it isn't something that is going to eat at her constantly throughout the fiction, that isn't in her character. More will be revealed on the one man that was ever actually close to her in several ways. Also some have been asking why Link is so deep and angst in this fic, I wanted to do a different take on him. Read on to find out why he has such a change in his normally positive mood.  
  
Original Character Profiles: Link, Karenna and Renzo Added!   
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Three: Another Shattered Sword  
  
While the tense group of seekers tried their best to catch their rest in the middle of the desert a search of a different nature was going on just over the next few miles to the east. The large group that Talim had predicted had finally come to a stop ready to capture the piece of Soul Edge, as believed it was indeed the ominous Black Wind. It seemed that another group had located the shard somehow. A large group of miners and excavators had recently unearthed what looked like a ruin that had been covered by sand over the multiple years. However once the Black Wind arrived it is needless to say that they were all put out of their misery by the Azure Nightmare and his cohorts.  
  
That had been two days ago and the mixed legions of troops had taken up searching the temple, it was obvious that whoever first came in contact with the shard either wanted to keep it secret or didn't want anybody to get to it. With a storm heading that way and over fifty complaining troops Nightmare was beginning to get irritated, the Soul Edge was provoking the clouds above to rain upon them, if the temple was flooded it would be easier for Renzor's troops. He felt better that this time he had left a number of his more reliable and skilled troops on board the Nemesis while taking the lower level fighters, it wasn't like orcs or Uruk-hai couldn't be replaced. This was thanks to Diablo's dark powers and Karenna's magic.   
  
The only thing that was beginning to get to Nightmare was the fact that the camp could have probably be seen from a number of miles away. Astaroth and Renzor were there of course along with Cervantes and Ivy, neither of those two could be left behind. One out of value in combat, the other due to the enormous amount of distrust Nightmare possessed for them. Anubis had also come along enjoying being so near to his point of origin, all the while Diablos had returned to the Nemesis to keep an eye on the elves. Though both Renzo and Karenna had proven themselves trustworthy the fact that Razorback had reported a creature like them in Istanbul his trust was shaken.  
  
Nightmare looked around him at the troops they had taken with them. Most of their group was made up of the lower class Orcs and Uruk-Hai that had come on foot and had been used in the raid, it surprised even Anubis that the miners were able to take down around twenty of them in the initial battle. There was a smoldering pile of random cadavers just a stone's throw away from the camp consisting of both Orcs and the men they had killed, they only spared an architect who pretty much knew what they had seen of the ruins. For helping them they would give him some food and water and leave him to find his own way back to civilization.   
  
Cervantes was walking along the roof of the ruins that lead into the underground, as he reported it was some sort of labyrinth starting off at the top level and going underground into an impressive amount of caverns. Isabella Valentine was of course in the camp with himself and Anubis, though she was content with allowing the grunts to do the work she was getting annoyed as this was taking such time although they figured that they were getting close but the water in the temple makes it very difficult to move through.   
  
Renzor ran his sword over the sand once again giving a light growl at the fact that the legion of his own he had brought were wanted on guard duty, they performed much better in the water than those mindless swine. Astaroth grumbled as he looked at his four Berserkers he had assigned to come as well, they were strong but hardly a match for either of Nightmare's two destroyers. He finally spoke "How much longer are we going to have to wait?!" he growled out, Nightmare looked toward him from where he stood with the Soul Edge stabbed into the sand "You need to learn some patience Astaroth. Otherwise you will go mad." Astaroth grumbled. He then slowly looked to Renzor "The orcs are worms. Completely useless." Renzor nodded as he sheathed his sword.  
  
Ivy chuckled as she walked up to Nightmare looking down at him as her cloak was lightly blown around by the wind "Seems there is a lot of tension among our ranks." she stated. Nightmare growled at her words "Tell me something I don't know." he said cursing lightly at the mens restlessness. It wasn't Astaroth or Renzor it was the orcs and Uruk-hai who kept complaining on how they wanted fresh meat, it probably wouldn't bug Diablos too much to make some more, these fools were more than ready to return to the mud from where they came. The architect claimed they were getting close and that they would have it by night fall, it was going to be a long day.  
  
Meanwhile only a few miles across the desert the group that sought Soul Edge found themselves at long last within striking distance of it, they would have their chance very soon. The trio had returned to the camp late in the night. While Cassandra had departed for bed Link, Sophitia and a curious Kilik discussed plans of how they would do this, she felt it would be best if they could neutralize Nightmare without having to fight him. Kilik and Link had agreed that they would stand back while Sophitia would approach him, she would be their only hope in doing this effectively otherwise they would have to take action.   
  
Although the others were oblivious to Sophitia's encounter with Nightmare that told her who he was under the armor, she had told Link and Kilik of this and made them swear to keep this secret. Both of them had agreed to this and gone with the theory that seeing Sophitia again may force Soul Edge's influence from him. Whatever was left of the man called Siegfried Schtauffen had been forced out before apparently, hopefully it could be done again. However, if this failed they would allow the Elven Swordsman the chance to kill Nightmare or get the Soul Edge away from him, which ever one came to opportunity first, Kilik and Xianghua would follow up if he was killed or was rendered no longer battle worthy.  
  
Sophitia was skeptic to having a one on one fight with Nightmare but with the likes of Astaroth, Cervantes and his daughter there they were going to have to cover Link as he went after Nightmare. See meanwhile was going to challenge Renzor who would surely come after her, little did she know of course that she once knew him as Aeon but that was a whole different story. This was the plan and they were going to have to follow it perfectly if they wanted to have any hope in capturing and destroying Soul Edge.   
  
Link had brought up concern about the Soul Blade in the possession of the Immortal Pirate. Kilik explained to him that the Soul Blade, although still a powerful weapon had lost its evil spirit when its physical body was shattered, though its remains caused humans to be corrupted it was still unable to control them directly like Soul Edge. They would take care of Cervantes afterwards.   
  
Mitsurugi watched as Maxi and Kilik worked to wrap the tents up Sophitia for some reason had become a lot more anxious to get this done with and wanted to move out as soon as possible. Taki stood up on a rock formation holding the sword that had apparently been infected by a piece of the Soul Blade, she was probably going to try and use it against the incomplete version Cervantes carried. It was a good thing they left the shards back on the ship hopefully they would not be able to be tracked from there but Sophitia meanwhile kept possession of the five Soul Edge shards they had collected, that is including the one that Taki had brought with her.  
  
Mitsurugi looked at Kilik as he stepped up to one of the horses "What are you all planning?" he questioned as he waited for them to move out "Sophitia will explain on the way, if this works you'll thank us." he said starting to walk off "And if not?" Kilik shrugged "Thats where we hope we have good luck." he said before walking to Xianghua and Maxi. Link seemed to be checking over his bow and arrows constantly as if he would have to be fighting from a distance, Mitsurugi doubted he would get the chance to do anything before the gap was closed.  
  
It wasn't long before they were moving again each of them managed to get some nourishment from what food they brought with them. Sophitia rode out in front following the vast amounts off foot prints they found in the sand around five hours after setting out, it was a good thing to as not too long after finding them the storm clouds began to rumble with fury. Cassandra winced lightly as the thunder struck loudly overhead, she was at this point so nervous that her natural instincts told her any sound could be deadly. Link grit his teeth as it was about to rain, and over the desert of all places. This was surely more of Soul Edge's work nature hold any other explanation.  
  
Taki looked up beyond Maxi's shoulders calling out to the group "Hold it." everybody followed her orders and all the horses came to a halt. Taki jumped down from her horse her feet touching down on the soggy sand, the cloak which concealed the black and silver outfit from before was lightly tossed by the wind. Link and Sophitia watched with more than a little impatience, Mitsurugi could sense this among the group and looked to Kilik and Xianghua "Be on your guard." he ordered them, they both nodded. Taki stood back up holding a small leather strap "They went this way. Come." she said as she stepped forward toward a rather large hill.  
  
Link and Kilik both dismounted taking weight off the horses as they forced their way up the sandy hill, they stayed closed to Taki as she came toward the top. She got down on one knee peeking over and looking around, she looked back motioning that it was safe. Kilik looked at Taki "What was that all about?" he asked looking at her, the huntress held up the sword she kept on the back of her waist "My blade can feel out the Soul Blade and I myself can feel the darkness from the Soul Edge. They are very close by, I thought you had the same sense." she said. Kilik nodded his head, he had the ability to sense Soul Edge but didn't keep his soul open to sense it out. Because he had been effected by the Evil Seed once before and the Dvapara-Yuga was no longer there to protect him he didn't want to risk it at such definite range.  
  
Taki looked back at everybody as they came up onto the hill, sheathing her sword she pointed out over the next few dunes "I'd say that we only have a matter of miles to go before we run right into them." Sophitia nodded her head from her horse, she could feel the blades energy without even trying. She looked to Link as he stepped forward his cloak dragging the sand lightly, his determination was fierce as was Kilik's. If it came down to it she was confident in their abilities, but she was worried for her sister's sake as well it was obvious that she wanted to know Link on a closer level. Though first she would have to chip away that layer of depression and anger left by fate's dealing to him in his own world.  
  
Maxi brought out a telescope and kneeled looking out over the next few dunes, the clouds had become so dense that there was hardly any light left in the sky. Maxi lowered it and pointed "I think there are torches lit over the third ridge. They have look outs too." Mitsurugi huffed as he climbed off his horse "Don't start regretting that the gunner went with the other seekers. A gunshot would be a lot more noticeable that us." he said taking his horse by the reigns it wouldn't be a good thing if they were spotted because of their animals. Cassandra pointed down to a rock formation at the bottom of the dune surprisingly there was some foliage growing around it, they began moving toward it.  
  
Kilik and Xianghua took the duty of making sure the horses would stay there, it wasn't like they were going to run off while they were in the middle of the desert. Sophitia looked at Link "Are you sure that your ready?" she asked, Link closed his eyes before speaking "You have no idea how many times I've been asked that. Nightmare is just another to me Sophitia, but I will try my best to avoid damaging him." he said. Sophitia nodded her head knowing that Link was ready, she then moved to Kilik and spoke "If you have to face Nightmare don't show any mercy. He will know how your attack pattern works and will more than likely be ready for a rematch."   
  
Xianghua nodded as she brought up the Krita-Yuga swiping it once through the air "You have nothing to worry about. If it goes anything like last time the Soul Edge is as good as gone." she said looking at her sword. Though she acted confident she was begging in her heart that it would transform for her again, into the same mysterious blade that allowed her to defeat it the last time. Kilik looked toward her as Sophitia stepped away "Your afraid arn't you?" he questioned. Xianghua looked at him "Don't be ridiculous." she said back her voice forced and not at all very convincing. Kilik shook his head "You're a terrible liar." he looked toward Link as he sat against one of the rocks running one of them down the edge of his blade.  
  
Xianghua looked as well. His resolve and determination were deep as finding inner peace and this was fighting for a world that he would never be able to return to not to mention their own and he didn't possess any of the personal experience that all of them did. "Link is a real spook." she said as these thoughts passed through her mind. Kilik looked at her as she continued "I mean, he claims that this is just another challenge for him and nothing more, its almost like he doesn't care what happens if he fails." Kilik shrugged at this "I don't expect him to." he said causing Xianghua to look at him a little shocked.  
  
Kilik leaned on the Kali-Yuga and spoke "It makes sense when you think about it Xianghua. He has come from another world and knew from the start he could never return home, he will never again see those he loves and cares for, and he is like an alien in this world despite the similarities between us. He is missing a reason to fight, we all fight for something weather we realize it or not. Who has he to fight for in this world, us?" Xianghua looked to the ground and then looked toward Link who monotonously continued to draw the rock across his sword his eyes narrowed with a deep resent for his fate "Poor guy." she murmured. Kilik nodded "Fate isn't fair." he echoed.  
  
Link stood up slowly sheathing the Athenian made sword that had served him so far, looking up toward the sky it began to rain at last. Some of them cursed their luck while Link just started walking away from the rock formation bringing his cloak back around his shoulders including the hood. Mitsurugi looked up as Maxi spoke "Where the hell is he going?" he asked as Link was already halfway to the next dune. Cassandra breathed as Sophitia began to follow, it was obvious at this point that both of them were ready to end this "What he came to do." she answered picking up her shield and going after. The others followed in time.  
  
It wasn't long before they came upon the top of another dune moving past the two guards that had fallen, the first by an arrow to the back of the head and the neck from one of Taki's swords piercing his neck. They looked down as the rain continued though they made the attempt to hide themselves behind more of the rocks. Sophitia looked down on the camp and could see what they were doing with the temple "I guess they really came for one of the shards." Taki nodded to Sophitia before speaking "I can feel it. Its moving. There." she pointed toward the cavern just as a single lizardman rushed out and toward the camp.  
  
Kilik looked up taking his chance at looking over the rock able to see the crimson gleam in one of the creature's fist as he ran toward the middle of the camp. The troops were using several large tents obviously set up by whoever was here first to shelter themselves from the rain, some sat around a large fire near the entrance and at the center of the camp was a single large tent which the Lizardman stepped into. The signal was then stronger than ever, that was where the Azure Nightmare was and there was no mistaking it.   
  
Mitsurugi looked down on the battlefield before looking toward Taki and Maxi who planned on moving in first "There has to be at least sixty of those lower class demons down there, not counting the Black Wind's personal forces." he said in reference to the Berserkers and Lizardmen. Taki narrowed her eyes as she looked toward the main tent "I feel the presence of a very powerful demon and it is not Nightmare or Cervantes." Cassandra looked back at everybody "Has anybody got any bright ideas?" she asked. Her concern could be understood as they planned on moving into this camp and making an attempt at reaching the center and destroying Soul Edge. The orcs might have been weak and expendable but the Lizardmen and Uruk-Hai were vicious and organized.   
  
There was a light huff before there was movement from behind her, she turned to see that Link had stood up and started down the dune right toward the camp. Cassandra jumped up ready to scream for him to get back to them when Kilik clapped his hand over her mouth "Don't. They'll know we're here." he warned her before turning her loose. Cassandra looked back and forth before speaking "But he is walking right in, he'll be killed!" she said as low as she could. There was another sound of movement from the side, she turned out head swiftly "Not you too!" she groaned.  
  
Sophitia had stood up as well "I doubt the fatigued can be that much of a threat." she said before looking at Taki "Wait for a signal before you come after us. I'll try to resolve this peacefully." she said before stepping down the hill after Link who had just arrived at the edge of the camp. He looked back at Sophitia who adjusted the short cloak that only covered down to her legs before nodding bringing his own over his head, they both moved in using the shadows as best they could.   
  
On of the several Lizardmen in the area was against one of the wooden posts sleeping when he woke with a start to the sound of a sword being unsheathed. He turned just in time to have his maw pierced through, the Athenian let him drop to the ground before turning back toward the center tent. She could see shadows thanks to the light from inside, she had been told to wait while Link got into position. They had already discussed this small plan, she would go alone and try to speak with Nightmare, if it became obvious he would not fall back Link would do what he was sent to do.   
  
She looked up as one patrolling member of the orcs group suddenly crumpled to the ground, another looked over just as there was a sound of something cutting the air, there was a splash of blood from the neck area before he fell to the ground as well. Sophitia moved toward the tent which was guarded by the two Destroyers that Nightmare had brought with him, empowered by Soul Edge they were something to watch out for. Both of them stood with their blades stabbed into the ground, they were the only things between Sophitia and Nightmare. However Link made no actions to attack them so Sophitia took the only other course of action available to her.  
  
Sophitia took a breath sheathing her sword before she stepped out from the shadows walking toward the tent with her palms held up. One of the two powerful knights looked up and spoke to his partner as the woman stepped forward of course unable to see her face "What do you make of this?" he asked. "No idea. Call him out here." his partner ordered leaving no room for argument. The second knight stepped inside the tent while the other stepped forward going into stance as Sophitia crossed an unseen point "Stop where you stand!" he ordered from under his helmet. Sophitia did so taking a breath as she did raising both of her hands with her palms held outward showing she had nothing to hide.  
  
The fallen knight spoke once again "State your purpose here girl." he demanded to know, Sophitia narrowed her eyes under her hood before she spoke "I've come to speak to the one called the Azure Nightmare." the knight looked back as the cloth that covered the door way was flung aside and he stepped out, Sophitia narrowed her eyes at what she saw. Nightmare lacked the normal deep azure armor that he had been known for, he now only wore the armor around his legs and feet while his upper body seemed left alone. Needless to say it was not easy to see the monster that held Soul Edge walk around open air with Siegfried's body.   
  
Two others stepped out with them one of which Sophitia recognized from the ancient tales of the Romans, this must have been the demon that Taki had been sensing. It was Anubis, the infamous false God that was supposed to have been banished from the world long ago. The other was a woman that wore a cloak of her own over the revealing leathers that would be thought to belong to a cruel slave owner, this was obviously Nightmare's right hand and alchemist Ivy Valentine. Nightmare spoke to the Destroyer who had informed him "Go to the front of this camp and kill whoever is on duty. We don't need fools with us." he said, the Destroyer moved off.  
  
Nightmare then looked toward Sophitia. It had been a long time and already the Soul Edge had started effecting Siegfried's body even more, there were ominous scars up and down his right arm which had somehow returned to normal, his eyes now shown a dark amber and his flesh was darkened by the sword's energy. He spoke after what seemed like ages "It is rare that somebody would actually track us this far and into this camp of all places. What is your business here M'lady?" he asked.   
  
Sophitia was inwardly shocked. This was not the Nightmare she had met back in Germany. Back then everything Nightmare did was aggressive, angry and forced by the Soul Edge obviously a result of Siegfried's wish to fight it. But this Nightmare was different. He was collected, calm and far for smooth in his speaking, something wasn't right and Sophitia knew it. She spoke "I've come to ask you flat out to return to us. There is nothing more I can say that this." Nightmare looked at her as she looked up. "You were once called Siegfried Schtauffen. This was probably a life time ago and I've come to ask that you please stop yourself and come back to us." Sophitia didn't dare approach him as she could already see the ominous shadow demon eyeing her.  
  
Nightmare was silent and Anubis and Ivy both looked at him, there was finally a found but it wasn't anything like a struggle or like Sophitia expected. Nightmare brought his left hand to his face and chuckled to himself before flat out laughing, he then raised the Soul Edge pointing it at her "Judging from your purpose you can only be one of two people, but all of your efforts are in vain, Alexandra." he said and it wasn't in the sword's voice this time. Sophitia looked at Nightmare in a glare as Ivy smirked "No. If you can hear me fight it!" she shouted.   
  
Nightmare laughed before speaking again "There is nothing to fight Sophitia. So don't bother trying to reach him from with in me because anything that even resembled Schtauffen within me, is long since dead." Sophitia looked at him unable to believe it "There is no way that can be true." Nightmare chuckled before he swiftly brought his sword up looked upon her, his eyes glowed crimson and his hair grew blood red "Let me prove it to you!" he shouted as he jumped taking a heavy swing at her. Sophitia's eyes grew wide as Nightmare came at her unrelenting, he had every intention of killing her!  
  
As the blow was about to land something cut the air coming straight at Nightmare, however the sword took notice as did he and he stopped in his steps to bring the sword down just as an arrow cut the air where his head would have been. Ivy drew her sword and looked toward one of the tents as it collapsed, a shadow moved from it sheathing his sword before he came to walk up behind Sophitia "So much for peaceful." the stranger said from under his hood. "I'm sorry, I should have known better." Sophitia growled to herself.  
  
Ivy looked up toward the young man a slight smile coming to her lips as she recognized him as the one who took the shard in Istanbul. His right hand remained clinched as he reached across his belt gripping the hilt of his blade "So that is the infamous Soul Edge. I expected better." he murmured to himself. Nightmare looked at him as he brought the flat side of the blade to rest on his shoulder "Oh? And who might you be little man?" Link slowly drew his sword and pointed it toward the Azure Nightmare "That is irrelevant, I'm just here to relieve you of your sword." he said in such a voice Nightmare narrowed his eyes as well.  
  
Link looked back as he noticed one of the orcs rushing to tell the others, he reached down and hurled another of his secondary weapons at it. It flew through the air straight as any arrow before pegging the creature in the back of the head with a bone cracking impact, it then turned and returned to the boy who caught it without much effort. Nightmare chuckled "With an order I can have everybody in this camp ready to destroy both of you, I don't supposed you'd just want to surrender." Link held up something with looked like a rather large nut in his palm "Afraid not." he said right before he tossed it at the ground right behind him.   
  
A blinding flash went up just as in Istanbul and the four before they covered their eyes as it happened, seeing this the group began moving down from the dune to assist. In only a matter of minutes a fight had broken out in the front of the camp and three managed to come through the rumble, Nightmare chuckled right before he gripped the hilt of Soul Edge and a dark feeling went through the area. All of the enemy stopped and backed off from them as they approached Nightmare and his other high ranking officers.   
  
Kilik and Xianghua ran up to Link and Sophitia along with Maxi who was still looking left and right for Astaroth ready to make him pay. Nightmare chuckled as he saw the two that nearly killed him two years ago "I see that you've tried to pull out any chance of failure Sophitia, thats just like you isn't it?" he mocked her. Link narrowed his eyes stepping forward, Kilik and Xianghua also noticed the change in the Azure Nightmare. "How? How did you manage to free yourself of him?!" Sophitia shouted angrily at Nightmare or Soul Edge, one of the two. "He would never just back down, I know this!"   
  
Ivy smiled at this as she remembered the tale that she had heard not to long ago, their reaction was going to be priceless. Nightmare smiled before he spoke "It is quite hilarious but I owe it all to my own defeat. More specifically I should thank your Chinese friend there for nearly killing me." Xianghua's eyes went wide before they narrowed. "Lying bastard." Kilik growled ready to skip ahead of Link "You didn't even know what you had and yet you keep trying to awaken it from within that little sword of yours. I'm afraid that the sword did not transform, its place was only taken by the spirit sword that is called the Soul Calibur." Xianghua didn't like this. They were never one and the same.  
  
Nightmare smiled as he reached behind his back and removed something tossing it toward them, it scrapped across the ground at Xianghua's feet and her mouth parted in a gasp. Though it had been a long time she recognized it as a blade from the sword that appeared to her when Nightmare took them to the void, it was part of the twin bladed sword. The Soul Calibur was still around but along with the Soul Edge it had also been shattered! Nightmare chuckled "That is the risk you take in trying to split light and darkness. You end up with one or the other!" he laughed.  
  
Next Chapter: The Master Sword VS Soul Edge   
  
  
  
Link finally goes into his long planned duel with Nightmare in the determination to capture and destroy the sword that has plagued his homeland. Maxi meanwhile finds himself trying to get to Astaroth who is apparently in the Labyrinth. But with the Soul Calibur no longer in one piece, will it be possible to truly destroy the Soul Edge?  
  
OOC: Needless to say this isn't going to end any time soon! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! 


	25. Master Sword VS Soul Edge

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Master Sword VS Soul Edge   
  
Cassandra walked up to the group as Sophitia looked to the ground as this revelation washed over her, it was like a horrible dream that she couldn't wake up from. In fighting Nightmare years ago she had caused Siegfried to come out as much as he could only for Nightmare to be defeated by Kilik, Xianghua and her mysterious Soul Calibur. But cutting through a hybrid of humanity and sheer darkness left only one part in existence, if one were to put it in the simplest terms it would be understandable to even the most foolish of mortals: Siegfried was dead, and it was her fault for not stopping him when she could.   
  
Sophitia's knees fell away from under her and Cassandra rushed to her side gripping her shoulders keeping her from falling as she fought back any depression, she wouldn't give Soul Edge that satisfaction. Cassandra glared at Nightmare, while she would have normally been impressed that their enemy was so far from repulsive and monstrous she was clearly angry "What the hell did you...?" Nightmare chuckled "The truth can hurt dear girl. No matter who it comes from." Cassandra growled grabbing her sword. Nightmare chuckled "Would you truly harm me?" he asked, Ivy smirked obviously amused.   
  
There was a tense silence before it was shattered by the sounds of boots stepping up "Why is it that everybody that is so fear just can't get enough of the drama?" the elven swordsman asked as he stepped up. Nightmare looked at him and Soul Edge blinked at him narrowing its single eyes, Nightmare spoke as he analyzed his blade's thoughts "You have no purpose here boy, you're the only one that I've no reason to destroy. If you and the younger Athenian leave now perhaps we won't hunt you down." Link slowly brought up his sword the tip pointed right at Nightmare's head "When I'm done with you your not going to be giving a damn about her being a threat." he says, his voice taking a tone of seriousness the kind that belonged only to men of experience.  
  
With this said Link brought his free arm up pushing the cloak back before pulling it from him, the hood comes back and his ears are revealed. Ivy narrows her eyes as she catches sight of the abnormalities of this warrior, considering the power of the two that possessed the similar traits it was likely he was also gifted. Ivy looked at Nightmare as he turned his eyes toward her "Queen..." he said wordlessly instructing her to stand back. She does so stepping away with a wave of her cloak, Sophitia looks up as Cassandra leads her back. Thunder clashes above as both of the two go into stance.  
  
Elsewhere on the battle field Taki, Mitsurugi and Maxi found themselves face with an oncoming group of orcs that didn't seem to let up. Mitsurugi gave a loud cry as he slapped a cheap sword aside with a diagonal cut curving up to come and then slice down the other way slashing the creature through. Keeping track of his surroundings he turned around in time to slice down into another Shishi-oh broke right through the cheaply plated armor on it's shoulder only to come out the creature's side. He looked back to see Taki jump up high into the air in a flip that went in an arc, halfway through her pure sword was drawn and swung slicing right through another's scalp cutting into its brain. She came down and went for Mekki-Maru to slash up with it cutting right through another.  
  
Mitsurugi looked back as his back came to be placed against Taki's as the swarms continued their attempted to surround them "The impatient ones go against Nightmare while we fight the underlings, this feels out of place." Mitsurugi said with a hint of boredom. Taki looked back as the blood and bone made orcs slowly advanced "Fate seems to enjoy holding either of us back from it. Might as well do what we can!" she said shouting the last part before slashing her blade across another one's throat. Mitsurugi then looked up as he deflected the impact from one of the hilt less blades before bringing his katana down "Where did the pirate go?" he pointed out.   
  
Maxi had vanished almost the instant they were attacked and while a good number of the orcs ran like cowards into the labyrinth they were left fighting the thirty some that were left on the surface. Taki growled "He can take care of himself!" she said before grabbing one of the Lizardmen that approached sending her knee into his crotch. It's eyes went wide as he halted movement, she quickly jumped up onto its back before turning a back flip and smashing her feet onto its shoulder blades. Added with her own body weight and the amount of force this was more than enough to completely pulverize the creature's spine.   
  
Meanwhile Maxi found himself heading toward the labyrinth smashing several of the unprepared troops out of the way with his twin nunchaku as he followed his instincts. Coming up on the entrance to the Labyrinth he found what he was looking for, an ominous shadow held a large ax over its shoulder. Anger boiled in his blood as he remembered how long he had burned to destroy him, after what he and the creature called Renzor did to his crew, he would never forgive them. He gave a loud battle cry before dashing over the sand and jumping up to smash his foot hard into the figures back dropping him to the ground.   
  
  
  
The impact was solid and dropped pushing hard into the spine dropping him to the ground but then he noticed that something wasn't right, there was armor on. Looking up he saw another of the same shadow turn to face him. The torches set up around the labyrinth lit both of them up resulting in a growl from Maxi. Both of them wore the loincloth of a man from the wilderness, Sophitia had spoken of a warrior who assisted her at one point in her second journey only difference was he apparently wore an wilder beast's helm and not a strange iron mask. Both of their bodies were covered in small circles and scars with didn't seem natural. Neither of them were Astaroth and his anger was wasted on them.   
  
Maxi growled and the unlikely possibility that he was perhaps not there "Where is Astaroth dirt bag?!" he demanded to know of the Berserker before him. It didn't answer as it raised it's battle ax and gave a hard swing at Maxi, the pirate narrowed his eyes as he jumped up springing his foot off of the blade. He then came down and with a shout smashed the end of his nunchaku into the warrior's mask causing him to reel back, he dropped down and kicked hard dropping him. He quickly recovered as the other one rushed Maxi swinging his blade like a baseball bat, he moved hard to the right just getting out of the way.  
  
It kicked up sand which clouded into the fallen one's face causing him to fall back, Maxi looked back and then made his way toward the attacker. The ax came down at him, but Maxi was quick to side step before swinging Soryuju to smash hard into his left hand, it growled with anger before it brought its ax back. "Oh no you don't!" Maxi shouted before he climbed up and boosted himself up off the Berserker and up above his head, he came down turning in mid jump before cracking the end of the nunchaku into the monster's head. There was a crunch before he dropped to the ground giving up the ghost.   
  
Maxi looked back at the other as he started to recover from the sand that was in his "Dumbass." he growled proving that he was at some point human, given strength by the Soul Edge in exchange for his soul. He looked up just in time to have the hard wooden shaft of Maxi's nunchaku crash into his mask bending it into his nose. He gave a loud groan as blood came from the air holes under his nose, there was then a pressure under his neck as the chain between the two sticks came around "Now tell me, where is Astaroth?!" Maxi demanded to know. The Berserker choked as he spoke "The camp. Probably trying to back the others up." he said.   
  
He went for his ax suddenly and swung it back, dull edge first at Maxi. The pirate from Ryuryu looked up before he jumped back right as the ax's blade hit the dirt coming just shy of the Berserker's spin. Angrily Maxi rushed up and smashed his foot into the Berserker's wind pipe dropping him to the ground suffocating. He didn't bother to watch as he ran back toward the camp hoping he would be able to assist Taki and Mitsurugi in their extermination of the low leveled demons that the Black Wind had brought under their control.   
  
Sophitia, Cassandra and Xianghua all watched from the side lines as the two warriors clashed before them all of them amazed that Nightmare was able to keep up with the swift nature of Link's fighting especially with the sword. Kilik stood a little more toward the battlefield as he didn't like the fact that both the shadow demon and Valentine were still in the area. Already both of them had torn up parts of the camp and the rain was beginning to make combat more than a little difficult. Cassandra swallowed slightly not knowing how Link expected to do this, the sword he was using was only the one Rothion had given him it was strong but lacked the blessed properties of the Alpha and Omega Swords.  
  
Nightmare gave a loud shout as he swung down hard, the blade of Soul Edge coming down hard to dig into the sand the moist meat of the sword forcing sand to stick to it. Link slapped the demonic blade aside with his shield and then swung in the attempt to strike at Nightmare's head. The Azure Nightmare was quick to bring his blade back up to catch the Athenian made sword upon its edge. Link growled as Nightmare straightened up and glared down at him, while wielding such a blade could be done the Soul Edge maximized his strength to wield it as easy as if it was hallow.   
  
Nightmare spoke as he glared at Link "Your good but you've no hope of defeating me?" Link grunted "You have any idea how many times I've heard a variation of that?!" he shouted before forcing Nightmare back. The demon stumbled lightly not expecting the strength of Link, obviously his race hid what kind of physical strength was in his average looking frame. He tried to recover as Link came up to him swinging but as Nightmare moved to guard he switched his movement and slapped the blade against the back of his ankle dropping him to the ground. "Damn you!" Nightmare cursed as he fell and the tip of Soul Edge was pointed toward the sky.   
  
Time slowed down for Link as he looked the Soul Edge up and down the single eye that was imbedded in a small canyon of cracks and cuts, it narrowed to glare at him as he brought back the sword gripped in his hand "I expected better." he murmured to himself before swinging hard at the blade. The blade of the Athenian sword made clear contact with the Soul Edge and it leaned slightly from the blow, Link's eyes went wide as he looked at it. The eye looked right at him as the flat end came back to swing at him.   
  
Link moved to the side and decided he'd better take out the user. Bringing back his sword he moved at Nightmare one foot moving to kick his arm away before his blade shot down, he just missed the center of his chest as the arm came back to slap his sword. The blond knight roared loudly before bringing back his right fist to come up and punch Link hard in the chest sending him over ten feet away. Nightmare climbed from the ground looked down at the blade that was halfway impaled through his shoulder. A voice spoke from out of nowhere to all of those watching the battle PATHETIC FOOL. YOU EXPECTED MY WEAKENED STATE TO MAKE MY PHYSICAL FORM ANY EASIER TO DESTROY?!   
  
That was what they all understood as the Soul Edge spoke to them, or rather sent a variety of signals right into their minds which was translated as such. Sophitia had heard this voice before it was the voice of Nightmare and Cervantes when they were both possessed, now Nightmare simply used the sword to fulfill his own wishes, giving it souls in exchange for its cooperation. Judging by the pile of smoldering bodies both she and Link passed on the way in, it was more than likely the sword had regained a good amount of its power, as if the destruction of the french armada wasn't enough.   
  
Nightmare's free hand slowly traveled up to pull the blade from his shoulder and turn the bloody point toward Link "You've made a fatal mistake coming here, you can take my sword when you pry it from chilling cadaver. Though it is impossible for anybody to resist it." he said before he hurled the Athenian blade back at Link. He calmly raised his shield up and the point bounced right off it spinning straight up, Link held up his hand catching the blade "We shall see." he said. Nightmare smiled before he gripped his left hand around the blade and suddenly a dark crimson aura came up around him.   
  
All that could be seen was his shadow and the members of the White Wind were speachless, Xianghua held the blade of Soul Calibur to her chest not knowing what she could do if it was no longer there for them. Ivy suddenly spoke up from her place thirty feet away "If I were you I would call your friend away." she said as the aura around Nightmare grew so dense he was nothing more than a shadow. The shadow changed as spikes began appearing and the right arm grew and formed into a three fingered claw. The aura slowly vanished and the Azure Nightmare was standing in his true glory.  
  
The power of Soul Edge had come even more under his will and he was now able to summon up his armor out of thin air. It wasn't as they remembered it however, it was for one cleaner and trimmed around his naturally armored right arm. It was even darker than before, had a trim of deep gold on the helmet which now bore a pair of dragon wings pointed straight up. An eye was on the chest and there was a lot of pointed edges around the suit of armor. His eyes now glowed a much brighter crimson under his helmet and his hair matched it perfectly, this was the Azure Nightmare in all his glory.   
  
Link narrowed his eyes as Nightmare switched the demonic blade to his newly formed right claw obviously this would be giving him a lot more power behind blows "Well, crap." he growled before falling back into stance. Nightmare hoisted Soul Edge up the flat end falling on his shoulder "Prepare yourself." he said, his voice dark and ominous before he rushed Link much faster than before. The Soul Edge came in a hard vertical slice connecting hard with the Athenian sword. Link growled as several sparks flew and heated grains of metal flew by his face all from his sword.   
  
Sophitia and Cassandra looked on breathing as Nightmare came up hard from the slash twisting the blade, Link's arm held up his shield behind his sword as the Soul Edge came. The demonic sword met both objects hard and the sheer force of the blow shattered the blade of the sword and sent Link flying over thirty feet while being at least eight feet above the ground. "Damn it. Without the blessings it couldn't handle such blows." she growled wondering if Link would be using that sword he had been holding back from all this time.   
  
Link growled as he tossed the worthless hilt of the shattered blade at Nightmare only to bounce off him and land with what else remained of it. Nightmare breathed as he held his sword over his shoulder and looked back to Anubis "A threat indeed. Just another bug to be stomped out." Ivy chuckled "Anubis, show them the nature of your power." she requested. Anubis nodded not enjoying orders but he could tell this boy was powerful, he wasn't about to let his existence continue. Waving one hand everything in the area around Link darkened before he was surrounded by what would be considered pure shadow. A cloud of destruction.   
  
Everybody stood to their feet becoming defensive as Link vanished into the cloud, Kilik growled as he had known some things about demonic magic this attack was known to destroy if not cripple entire armies. Cassandra was held back by Xianghua and Sophitia as she attempted to rush Nightmare, Link so far had made a lot more sense than any body she had ever met and he wasn't going to let him fall like this. "Stop! He'll only kill you too!" Xianghua shouted holding Cassandra in a headlock knowing that Cassandra's lack of experience against such a warrior made even the thought of it suicide.   
  
  
  
Nightmare watched from his place just a little distance away from the cloud as he picked up the scent of the sand being scorched by its acidic nature. He chuckled as he watched the sillouette struggle and suffer reaching toward his back at the other sword he carried not like it would help him "Fare the well, child." he said as he started to turn. Suddenly the Soul Edge's eye went wide as it picked up a heavy amount of opposing energy from inside the cloud as there was a hateful version of Link's voice "Think again." he growled as light began to build within the cloud. Anubis raised the ridge of his right eye "My my..." he murmured.   
  
The light from the center pierced through the sphere of shadows before being followed by a second and then a third. There was a heavy amount of wind as this happened "This isn't normal is it?!" "How would I know?!" Xianghua shouted back at her. Ivy gripped the edge of her cape keeping it over to fight the wind, she could tell that this was not a good thing for their side. There was suddenly a slicing sound before there was a burst of light from the center of the sphere that visually tore it apart. As the sand and smoke cleared and the ran took over once again a silhouette appeared in the aftermath, but his strength was different.  
  
The elven swordsman stood there the same as he was before the only difference now was the fact that his left hand now gripped the hilt of a much finer sword, which bore a brilliant holy aura around it. He looked up at Nightmare breathing slowly "Round two." he said his eyes now accompanied by a glow of their own. Kilik breathed, this was clearly the sword he had back in Athens but it had somehow unlocked its power as if at the will of its master. Link suddenly rushed Nightmare his right hand shooting down to grab his shield and hurl it at Nightmare, who slapped it aside on instinct. This was his mistake.   
  
Link jumped up into the air and then brought his glowing blade down, not on Nightmare but on the horrific blade he held. The metal of the Master Sword connected with Soul Edge and there was an ominous and unheard scream of pain as there was a noticeable cracking sound. Nightmare felt pain in his chest as Link jumped away and looked down in horror, the Soul Edge now had a fresh new crack down its blade. Link smirked as he looked toward Nightmare "Surprised? Don't be!" he shouted before rushing him again.   
  
Nightmare swung hard at Link in a diagonal swipe digging his blade into the sand just as Link side stepped under the blade. The blade came up hard swiping hard into the chest plate of his armor cutting cleanly through, Nightmare shouted in pain right before Link sent a solid kick into his abdomen sending him back. Link then turned around spinning before halting his right hand shooting down to grab the hilt of the demonic sword. All four of his fellow warriors looked up as he did such a thing and shouted in unison for him to release the blade, Link however made no such move as he gripped the blade even tighter pulling it from the ground to stab it point first before him.   
  
Cassandra felt her heart beating harder and harder as she watched this, Sophitia had warned him before, she had warned all of them [What in the hell is he thinking?] she asked herself. Nightmare looked up and growled as the boy had effectively taken him off guard, though he had been foolish enough to touch the blade. It was exactly how he brought the guardian of the Money Pit under his control, however Link didn't seem to move his eyes just came to focus on the single eye of Soul Edge. Nightmare gasped as the eye went wide as it discovered a fact on the boy that frightened even it NIGHTMARE! STOP HIM NOW! it shouted once again in unspoken words.   
  
Link smirked as he lifted up the sword and glared down into its eyes "This is why they sent me to destroy you, no matter how pure a soul may be it can always be manipulated. I as you've discovered am an exception. I have no original darkness for you to manipulate. Now die." he said as stabbed Soul Edge down and brought back the Master Sword prepared to end it all. Nightmare might have jumped up to rush him but it would make no difference he was too far away and the shadow demon probably realized that his attacks would only be fazed out by the Master Sword. This is what he had been waiting for and he was going to savior it.   
  
Next Chapter: Startling Revelations  
  
The battle continues to a close which you'll have to read to find out...afterwards Sophitia falls into depression over her apparent failure to defeat Nightmare the first time and free Siegfried's soul. However before she can fall any deeper an unlikely source among their group tells the truth, something that they felt wasn't relevant as they didn't know the truth behind Nightmare. Does this mean that Nightmare's words were misunderstood and Siegfried could possibly be alive?  
  
OOC: CLIFFHANGER!! Hahahahaha!! I'm sorry to do this to you but if you review I will get at least the first part up ASAP! Also for those who didn't get it before here is the system:  
  
""= Speech  
  
[] = Thoughts  
  
= Telepathy 


	26. Startling Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: That is my style of writing. I separate events both major and minor. As for that ancient SSBM story, I scrapped that after everything I had on it was destroyed including the plans and time line I set up for it. It was going nowhere and people wouldn't quit bitching when the slightest little thing collided with a characters series.  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five: Startling Revelations  
  
Nightmare's eyes narrowed as he watched the elf's grip tighten on his blade's handle, the Soul Edge was now wordlessly screaming in fear of its own destruction, the members of the White Wind looked on absently. Link looked at Soul Edge as he held his blade up and then came down hard right at the eye prepared to shatter the demonic blade and end all the suffering that it was causing. He would then end Nightmare's life and hopefully give some relief to Sophitia over her friend that at least she wouldn't have to see Nightmare use his body to do what he seemed to do best. The Master Sword had been in the moment many times before and this would surely be the last time.  
  
As Link came down he felt his arm stop as there was a hard pressure around his wrist right before something bit into his wrist as his arm was pulled to a stop. Without much warning whatever held him snapped and hurled him back across the sands to smash at least forty feet from Nightmare. He growl as his upper back smashed into the sand before he flipped completely to land on his chest, his blade still gripped in his hands. He looked up with a growl as Nightmare quickly reclaimed his blade inspecting the damage as it slowly healed itself "Damn it." Link groaned knowing that it would be all but impossible to catch him off guard again.   
  
The several pieces of the multi segmented Valentine returned to their hilt to take the form of a blade, Ivy breathed as she looked up toward Link. "Nice work." Nightmare said to her as she looked toward the elf "What is going on? Nobody should be able to grip that blade besides yourself." she asked. Nightmare growled as Link painfully brought up his blade, he breathed heavily and had a look of adrenaline rush on his face, Nightmare wasn't feeling confident about that blade he carried his own was still too weak.   
  
Sophitia had been watching when she noticed the presence of others all around. She looked back as Taki, Mitsurugi and an annoyed looking Maxi joined the group "What do you have?" Sophitia asked Mitsurugi "Several of them retreated. It seems that the Lizardmen have disappeared." he said. They looked up as whatever was left of the Black Winds forces were beginning to gather on the other side of the battle ground, it was like some unseen line made an area of souls around Link, Nightmare and Ivy. Anubis stood there near the tent along with another, the infamous Immortal Pirate.   
  
Cervantes looked to the ancient demon before speaking "What do you suspect this means shadow demon?" he asked. Anubis stood there silently holding Longinus vertical to the ground "The Soul Edge has finally met a common weakness, nothing is without equel de Leon. You'd do well to remember that." the false God said as he looked up toward Nightmare waiting to be given orders. Nightmare had lost a good chunk of his control over Soul Edge from that blow and it was unlikely he'd be able to keep up with the much more swift warrior.   
  
Nightmare straightened up suddenly holding Soul Edge being his back, Link blinked once confused as to what the Azure Nightmare was doing. He spoke suddenly as the armor vanished returning him to the black slacks and boots "Prehaps I should pay less attention to Alexandra, its been a while sense I've had such a good fight. Maybe next time we'll be able to finish it." he said looking toward Anubis and then back toward Astaroth who stood with the remaining troops. Link spoke as he looked up toward Nightmare, the bleeding in his wrist apparently not bothering him "Running already? I really did expect better."  
  
Ivy smiled as she whipped the blood from her blade looking at the elven "Common sense dear, something that you'd benefit greatly from." she said with a smirk. The smirk that she gave often that made most other females in the area want to tear her appart, which would acount toward Cassandra right now. Link scoffed "My reputation is sketchy enough without you calling me that." he said as he stepped forward ready to start this up again.   
  
Suddenly the entire area began to turn dark once again and Link glared up toward Anubis who held up his staff, black energy swirling around the tip of it. Everybody shielded their eyes as the wind began to blow and the sand was kicked up from the ground and Nightmare's voice spoke up "We didn't come here looking to fight, and I've already got what I wanted. Your going to have to work harder if you wish to claim much less harm my sword. Farewell." the air around them became as black as pitch and the hoards seemed to vanish from around them, slowly the sand began to settle.  
  
Link looked around holding his sword which had stopped shimmering in the rain, it seemed that the enemies very presence had caused the uprise in the sword's power. Sophitia and the others recovered and looked down from their place on the sand dune at Link who stood in the center of the field as it finally stopped raining and the icy stare of the moon took over. His blade was sheathed and somehow all of them could tell that he knew, the fighting was over and they had gone. Not even Taki knew how the ominous shadow demon could have taken them all away so fast but she really didn't care, with her experiance she would be forced to take care of him.   
  
It didn't take long for the White Wind to settle in to the camp that had been left behind by their enemies, being that it was quickly approaching night they would need a place to stay. Maxi and Mitsurugi took the liberty of piling the bodies of the Orcs and Uruk-hai and began to search for means of burning them not wanting more of their filth to spawn from their cadavers. Sophitia sat in front of a fire with Kilik and Xianghua who were trying to figure out what to do next.   
  
Sophitia was as silent as the sand that rested around them, but it wasn't their failure to capture and destroy Soul Edge that bothered her. Link was annoyed at Ivy's interference and felt he should have been ready for another to jump in but not even he had seen such a weapon before. Mitsurugi looked like something was pulling at his mind to tell but something held him back and everybody else was just happy that they had gotten out alive.   
  
Link had little time to pay attention to his annoyance as Cassandra once again took the liberty of playing nurse for the wounded. Though a few scratches on his wrist and back wasn't much, he felt a few ribs might have been bruised by the impact. "Not much for being social is she?" Link asked as he pointed out Taki moving away from the trio around the fire and towards where Mitsurugi and Maxi were working.   
  
"I would have said the same about you a few weeks ago." Cassandra responded. Link lightly smiled as he looked toward the moon wondering how far their enemies had gotten. Cassandra breathed as she leaned forward resting her head in her hands as she looked out over the horizon "Excusing what we have witnessed this place is a pretty peaceful spot. To bad we have to be on the move so soon." she said with a sigh.   
  
Link looked at Cassandra as she said this "Homesick?" he asked her. Cassandra looked back at him and nodded lightly, but in her head she was wondering how horrible it was for him. She was even more surprised when he reached his left arm around her shoulders "We've nowhere else to go as of now. Athens is as good a place as any to stop and wait for development." he said. Cassandra nodded as she reached her own hand up to hold his, they had become friends quite quickly over the past few weeks but she was beginning to seriously wonder if they could be closer.   
  
She wanted to ask him several questions about where he was from, much like everybody else but something told her that he wouldn't be comfortable just sitting her down and sharing his life story. She just watched the moon wondering what kind of a world he had come from, perhaps she would ask him later but until then she would just wait until he felt less out of place with them. (Though we all know that it would be one hell of a long story now don't we.)  
  
"This should be the last of them." Maxi grunted as he placed the last of the bloody corpses in the pile which he and Mitsurugi had been working on, there had been just over twenty five kills. Mitsurugi had salvaged what he could from them, aside from the two battle axes that Astaroth's berserkers were using there was little that would catch a fair price at a market. Mitsurugi grunted as he sliced another's head off in annoyance "I certainly hope all this trouble is worth it." he said as he tossed the head onto the pile. Maxi picked up his torch and through it out, it didn't need anything other than the hair on the creature's bodies to start to burn.   
  
Maxi and Mitsurugi watched the fire as it went up and Maxi spoke up "Well at least we know that the Four Blades won't find Soul Edge. Where should we go from here?" he asked. Mitsurugi brought a hand to his chin before suddenly a voice spoke up "Before we go anywhere you should tell her." Mitsurugi looked back towards Taki as she stepped up to him, her eyes were narrowed and her expression was straight he knew by now that this ment one rare thing. She was angry. And it was personal.   
  
Taki spoke once again toward Mitsurugi her voice pretty harsh and from what Maxi could tell it wasn't a disput between partners or friends it was something a little more spread to them. "I know that we both thought that it was irrelevant up until now but there is no way we can keep it from her longer. She has to know what happened before she falls into complete depression." Mitsurugi slowly nodded as if being defeated in arguement then started to follow Taki back toward the camp leaving Maxi a little confused.   
  
"Hey..whats going on? What are you guys talking about?" Taki looked back at Maxi as he said this with a glance that pretty much asked [Who are you calling a guy?]. Mitsurugi looked back slowly as he was still thinking on how to tell his story "Only the event that changed my mind, two years ago I discovered somebody that was able to tell me exactly how vile the blade is. It takes a lot to shock me pirate, Nightmare's face did that fairly easy." he said before he continued walking. Maxi requested more information but didn't receive it, he decided to simply follow.   
  
  
  
By this time Sophitia had retreated from the ground and was standing near the rocks they had left the horses, her sword was angrily stabbed right into the side of the rock, the unique properties making it an easy task. She now sat on one of the boulders with her legs pulled up to her chest, though as much as she wanted to beat herself up she couldn't keep her sister away, who stood there silently. Xianghua and Kilik having also grown concerned and moved over toward the rocks to console Sophitia who hand her head dropped to her knees her crossed arms hiding her face.   
  
Link had decided to stay out of this and had gone back to pick up the pieces of his shattered sword, it would help to have a back up weapon. The sword had put up more resistance to Soul Edge than he expected and it wouldn't be much of a task to repair it, at least it wouldn't be if he still had his magic. He felt that Sophitia's sorrow was no longer his problem, the reality that Nightmare was no longer her friend would probably make it easier in the long run. He couldn't understand why she was blaming herself when it was truly not her fault. It was a meaningless guilt. However he understood how cold his thoughts on it was so he decided he would shut up this time.  
  
Xianghua kept one arm over Sophitia's shoulders as she continued to cry and curse at her own misfortune and continued to counter all of their guarantees that it was not her fault. Sophitia only looked up at them "Yes it is. After you and Kilik confronted him I just decided to cut my loses and go home and despite how often I felt I should have made sure he was gone I didn't. Giving Soul Edge time to take him over!" she shouted. Cassandra sighed as she leaned against the rock and Kilik stood there shaking his head, Xianghua looked at her "You have your own life, how could you have known?" Sophitia huffed lightly.  
  
Suddenly another voice spoke up "Your being ridiculous." everybody turned to see Taki as she stepped into the area followed by Maxi and Mitsurugi, while Maxi was still a little confused Mitsurugi looked like he had something to say. He spoke after Taki "Because you have nothing to regret so painfully." he said, Sophitia looked at him clearly angry "How can you say that Mitsurugi. There is no hope of saving him any longer and it is my fault for giving up on him." she said jumping off the rock to glare at him.   
  
Mitsurugi returned the glare as he spoke "There is no reason to mourn one that is not dead and I don't believe that the living need saving. Especially when you read Nightmare's words wrong." he said. Everybody turned to look at Mitsurugi as he said this, Taki seemed to take a breath knowing that she was going to really catch it for not telling Sophitia sooner. Sophitia breathed as this was said to her and she held back any kind of an outburst before she spoke "You'd better have a damn good explanation." Cassandra said to him knowing that Sophitia's mind was probably screaming right now.   
  
Mitsurugi leaned against one of the rocks and took a breath "Well first of all my suspicions of the connection between the two were confirmed when I saw his face, I didn't expect such a resemblance. Seeing as how only the two of you were present I decided to ask the elf what was said between you two and I think you read what he was saying wrong." Sophitia raised an eyebrow "Link was several yards away how could he have heard us?" she questioned feeling that Mitsurugi was making all of this up in a cheap attempt to make her feel better.  
  
Taki chuckled at this question was asked "You think those ears are there to take attention away from his face. His senses are naturally sharper than our own. That is what he claims at least." Sophitia nodded believing that and Cassandra scratched one question off her mental list. Mitsurugi continued "When he told you that there was nothing left of your friend with in him he must have ment that he was no longer with Siegfried. His soul escaped Soul Edge. If you noticed his new nature it wasn't struggled, Soul Edge isn't forcing its influence through your friend." he said. Sophitia looked up "That still doesn't explain what you mean? Are you saying that you believe that Siegfried is still alive?" she asked doubtfully.  
  
Mitsurugi looked at her before he closed his eyes "I can say without a doubt. I saw both he and Nightmare, within striking distance of one another less than two years ago." Sophitia looked at Taki as she chuckled not giving her time to gasp "We should start charging those that we drag half dead off the battlefield." she said in reference to her saving of Sophitia after her wounds at the hands of Cervantes. Sophitia looked at Mitsurugi almost pleadingly "Tell me. Please tell me how you know." Mitsurugi nodded as he closed his eyes and began to reminisce on the past.  
  
Mitsurugi had been traveling for quite some time at this point, it had been just over a year since the defeat of Soul Edge and he had long since given up the hunt. It was two years ago that they all began the hunt for the blade and it two years before he would be telling this story to the Athenian maiden. He had just completed yet another one of his various journeys this time attempting to find a sword made by Masamune, only difference was that this one was apparently his last and made with several holy properties. After hearing of the power of the blade that defeated Nightmare he had been searching for any kind of weapon to match the spirit sword, the appropriately named Holy Masamune was just one of them.   
  
He however found nothing, there was several rumors about a rouge demon slayer passing through the area had possessed a Masamune blade but it was not what he figured it would be. The one he sought was to be hidden away and guarded by a very powerful ally of Masamune's anybody who could claim the sword was easily superior to himself. He had moved on and had been coming through the northern wilderness of Asia when he heard the exitment in a town, they had spotted a creature that matched the description of the Azure Nightmare passing through the area by he didn't attack. It was hard to believe that any imposter could bring so much fear by putting on a suit of dark blue metal, Mitsurugi had thought before he went after it.   
  
It wasn't long before he finally caught up to the one the villagers had spoken of and he couldn't believe his luck at his find. It was most definately the Azure Nightmare but there something odd about him. His entire body had been thrashed by and unseen force, his armor had dents and the blade he held possessed a large number of cracks in it. There was also a gorge in his chest that surprisingly didn't drip with blood, either way this Nightmare was far from his name sake he looked like a man that was fighting just to hold on to his life. Mitsurugi was not going to let the chance to claim Soul Edge pass him by again and took his stance.   
  
Nightmare's movements were pathetic and slow he could hardly life the enormous sword he carried or make swipes with that claw of his, it was as if an invisible man was holding back his arms. Mitsurugi dodged the strokes of Soul Edge easily and he saw what appeared to be a pair of blade stabbing out from his chest, like they had been broken off of another sword. Mitsurugi decided to at least make on man or woman's efforts not be in vain and cut his own blade Shishi-Oh right into the would driving the blades in. But something happened that no warning could have prepared him for.   
  
Light seemed to pour out from the wound and split a beam cut Nightmare in a diagonal slice from the wound, then an explosion blew Mitsurugi back only after he hit the ground he heard not one but three impacts. The dust settled and it revealed Nightmare standing near where he had been somehow healed and his armor returned to normal with the still weak Soul Edge. However another stood across from him, his body was in the same condition as Nightmare's only difference was he had only one of the blades stabbed into his chest. He possessed long blond hair and an expression that could only belong to somebody who truly knew what kind of a curse Soul Edge was.  
  
Mitsurugi didn't understand any of this as Nightmare gave a laugh drawing the second blade from his own chest without much trouble. The young man managed to stand to his feet and growl as Nightmare ran at him and swung hard cutting a scar down the right side of his face and then sending his morphed fist into his chest dropping him to the ground. Mitsurugi jumped up and out of his wish to find out what was going on stepped to protect him, the Azure Nightmare did not continue. Raising his human hand summoned some sort of a rift in space and time and entered the void proclaiming that it had only begun.   
  
Mitsurugi finished had no choice but to drop pursuit and get the boy back to his home at once, hopefully that would give enough trust to tell him what in the hell had been going on. Mitsurugi opened his eyes as he stated a few words "He somehow managed to survive all the way to Venice where they seemed to know him though I never got a name. Along the way he told me all about Soul Edge and what he had done but he never went so far as to admit that he was the Azure Nightmare, I had figured that the shock of the blast allowed one of the captured souls to escape the sword." he took a breath "So essentially Sophitia your friend is more than likely alive but I cannot say if the wounds he had will ever heal. He could be paralized for all we know." he admited.   
  
Needless to say Sophitia had to force herself to breath at this point and Taki spoke "So Sophitia. You've nothing to regret, he is no longer a victim or a slave to Soul Edge. I suppose that Xianghua's sword must have split the side of him that was allied to Soul Edge and the side that hated it. That explains why they are pretty much twins." Sophitia breathed but was cut off as Cassandra suddenly spoke up "It's a good thing too because now I know what we are doing next." everybody looked at her as she pretty much took charge of this "We are heading to Venice as soon as we regroup with Talim and the others, something tells me that this guy will have the answers to any questions we can ask. Aside from that we could all use some rest."   
  
Everybody looked and one another and nodded in agreement and everybody stood up almost at once ready to move out. Cassandra turned her attention toward the battlefield where Link stood playing a song that was almost funeral style, she figured that it was his way of honoring those who had been lost to Soul Edge. She stepped up to him ready to tell him everything when he looked back at her, she could read what he was going to say "Mitsurugi already told you his story, huh?" Link nodded as he placed his instrument away. "The scenario of light and darkness being split from a person is old news to me." he said recalling a few memories where death was probably keeping him listed.   
  
Cassandra looked up as Sophitia seemed to be pretty possitive at this point and they started grabbing what they could almost at once "Amazing how everything works out." Cassandra said. Link nodded his head as he stretched "I wonder if the others are getting such emotion at this point in time? I hope Talim is okay." he said with concern for his first earthly friend.   
  
Next Chapter: Opposing Winds  
  
Talim and the Four Blades track the signal to an old chapel that is infested with theives, however it seems that a large battle has already broken out from within and they are forced to rush in. With both a strange demon that uses energy as a weapon and another warrior that easily rivals Talim and Yunsung in speed and agility, how will all of this go. And aside from that why is Talim feeling an odd presence in the air, the same that she felt in Istanbul.   
  
OOC: Needless to say the next few chapters are going to possess quite a bit of emotional conflicts and development in them. Review me and I'll do this quicker, my inspiration is already high enough but now I must ask a question. Should Siegfried be combat worthy, still recovering or dead? Review and vote if you will. 


	27. Tainted By Darkness, Necrid

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: This is of course going on around the same time as the last three chapters. It is essentially what the Four Blades and Talim are doing while the others go after Soul Edge. If you read Chapter 21: Final Preparation then you'll get this.   
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Six: Tainted By Darkness-Necrid  
  
It had been several hours of travel and only a few of sleep since the Four Blades lead by Talim had set out from the Port of Oman and headed north after the lone signal which they suspected was Soul Edge. As they moved through the rocky regions of the Middle East, both Yunsung and Raphael were growing anxious, completely clueless to the fact that the Soul Edge was absent. Kyle held his blade, Oblivion by the handle taking up the lead right behind the wind priestess, Mina following him closely holding Scarlet Thunder under her arm. Jack brought up the rear holding his rifle over his shoulder and his blade at his side.   
  
The moon had just came into view as Talim looked back at the weary group "Its close. Not much farther now." she said resting her hands over her elbow blades. Yunsung lightly groaned "You said that an hour ago." she ignored him as Raphael pushed by obviously well used to harsh traveling conditions "What are we looking for again?" he asked. Talim looked back at the swordsman from France as she spoke "My visions inform me that the source of the signal, be it a shard or the actual sword is coming from a very noticeable place just over the next ridge." she said climbing past some more rocks. Raphael followed as Kyle stepped ahead of him.   
  
Kyle however suddenly stopped and reached forward grabbing Talim's wrist nearly dropping her down the steep hill, he held one hand back giving a signal. Everybody dropped down on their knees as there were footsteps against the rocks up the hill. A figure stood on top of the hill he looked around lightly before turning and moving, Mina moved up to Kyle "Bandits?" she questioned. Kyle nodded "Scavengers. They live in isolated groups all over the desert and pray upon the lost and traveling, they'd know better than to have Nightmare in their company." he explained.   
  
Yunsung growled lightly looking at Talim "So Soul Edge isn't likely to be here is it?" Talim crossed her arms "Nobody every said it would be, there was only a chance and we probably chose one. But that energy there is at least a pretty big shard of it lingering in this area." she explained. Yunsung grumbled a few incoherent words and Talim just ignored him as she continued to climb making sure nobody was looking as they got to the top of the steep hill and onto relatively leveled ground. They all got out of view of what was most definately the resting place of the signal source, hopefully this would prove worth their time.   
  
They looked down at what appeared to be a small village of tents, a few decently made houses and a few store buildings, not far from the village near the ridge was the crumbling ruins of an old chapel. Either way it was in serious disrepair but still held the same essence of a holy place. Raphael spoke up as he looked over the structure "Well its better than nothing. I don't think the White Wind will do much better. Lets get going." he said bringing out his rapier. Talim looked as it looked like it would be a sneaking and swiping job here. They moved around from the side of the hill and slowly approached a part of the village that had torches lighting the way.  
  
Finally the Four Blades and company had gotten a look of the grounds that surrounded the village, Talim held her hands over her mouth as she saw it. Several of the bandits were littered on the sands soaking in pools of their own blood, their bodies as pale as the moon as if the very heat had been taken from their bodies. Others looked like they died fighting and others look like they were struck down running, whatever had struck here had done so with a great amount of force. Raphael examined one of them "I've never seen any wound like this." he said as he pointed out the odd burning around the severed flesh, the only blade that could have done this was one that was red hot at the point of striking.  
  
The village was derelict, nobody was left alive and the place looked like a ghost town, the bright moon was the only source of light for them. Yunsung breathed as he looked to Kyle and Mina "Do you guys think that Nightmare or Cervantes might actually be here and decided to clean house while waiting." Raphael breathed as he looked at the body. He planned to get Soul Edge under his control to hold off the nobles of France from him and give his adopted daughter Amy a better life, but now he was wondering if he really wanted involvement in a weapon that could make a man do all this.  
  
Drake breathed as he slowly walked through the halls of the cathedral hoping that he would find the shard that he had been sent to retrieve in this place crawling with desert vermin, instead he found nothing but an immense amount of death and ominously drifting souls. The placed seemed to have never been used by the people but was clearly some sort of early monotheistic temple. Whatever had struck here had struck that small group of men he discovered after he first started out, and judging how the red gem was glowing whatever possessed the shard was somewhere nearby. It could not be human any longer, possibly transformed by Soul Edge's energy.  
  
Whatever it was, it had somehow managed to decimate nearly the whole of their forces. They had no organization and they had no clue of how to get past whatever kind of weapon he was wielding. He was confused as to how a group of over a hundred people could all be defeated so quickly, the bad thing was that he knew that whatever had done this was still somewhere in the area and he'd have to fight it to get its shard. Part of him just wanted to run back to Asia but then he knew the Black Wind would come after him, the Soul Edge could track his very soul ever since it first looked at him and he had left with the promise of a shard and Ivy had hinted that they'd let him go if he got them one. But this seemed all too risky.  
  
Yunsung leaned against the door to the cathedral, listening through a crack as it was too dark to see and they didn't want to draw attention. They had moved toward the ridge after finding that the entire village was truly a death filled place. He didn't hear anything but the faint whisper of the wind coming through the windows. Talim had sensed signs of life from the Cathedral and was confident that if their target was anywhere it was inside, she stood back with Jack who took aim on the door. Raphael looked at Yunsung and he nodded before they both lunged forward kicking it open, both of them jumped in followed by the others.  
  
More men were scattered on the floor obviously dead and as Raphael examined the bodies while the others investigated the main hall of the cathedral. Suddenly an ominous draft blew through the area and Talim trembled as her knees failed her. Yunsung hurried over helping her to stand "Talim, whats wrong?" he asked in concern. Talim regained her composure before speaking "I can feel it. The energy of Soul Edge taints all of these bodies. Whoever did this is using some variation of the Soul Edge. Whoever it is, they are still somewhere in this place." a feeling of cold fear washed over everybody before Raphael stood up taking charge of the situation.   
  
He looked around before speaking "Alright. I'll go with Jack check out the ridge. The rest of you should split into two groups and search the area, meet back here in an hour." Talim looked at Yunsung before speaking "We'll check the second level of this place. Maybe there are some survivors." she said. Raphael nodded as Yunsung agreed and the two moved toward a set of stairs leading up "Stay sharp." Raphael called after them.   
  
Kyle and Mina looked at one another saying a few words before looking at Jack and Raphael "We'll stay on the ground floor, maybe this creature will come to us." Mina said. Jack was seriously beginning to question if they were just friends but ignored it as he looked to Raphael "We should get moving, he could be getting away." Raphael nodded and they both headed out while Kyle and Mina moved into the next room.   
  
Drake flipped another page of the dusty old book he had found, it wasn't what he was searching for but it was a treasure among a very large collection. Finding it in the dusty third floor study of the cathedral it was in good condition but it was printed in a language he could not understand but every few pages he found more interesting pictures, all of them seemed to be on ancient and powerful weapons and this included the Soul Edge. He had once sought to destroy that sword and now he found himself serving it, he growled as he placed it back on the table, his luck at finding the shards was coming up less and less and a book he couldn't read would give no help in betraying it effectively.   
  
His ears perked up as he heard a low growl like a bear and moved away from the desk in the small study/library and toward a window that over looked the balcony. The full moon shown down on a large balcony that was accessible from the second floor only and he caught a glimpse of a very large creature standing there. Not much could be seen but except its muscular outline Drake swallowed as he watched two short swords appear in its hands, each one made of glowing radiance that was lit up like lightning. He stabbed them on the ground and then decented on his knees moving around in an odd walk, it reminded him of one of his old home's traditional dances. Was he honoring the moon or the storms that loomed nearby?  
  
Either way he'd have to find out and decided to get a better look but he certainly wasn't going to be sneaking up behind it. Putting out the candle he had lit up he stepped to the window trying to open the rusted hinges with no luck, he growled before he just shattered the ancient glass as softly as he could. He climbed through and out onto the roof removing one of the twin tantos or short bladed katanas he carried being used to support his stepped on the roof as he eventually got a good look down on the monster. He reached behind his belt and removed a small telescope looking down at it.  
  
He zoomed in first on one of the weapons that the creature had made appear out of nowhere, it looked as if an unseen force was holding and light green bolt of thunder into the shape of a gladius style sword. He then looked at the being as it gave an odd grunt toward the sky as if going through a series of a prayer, he lowered his telescope as he brought up one blade wondering if he could get the drop on him from where he was. The crimson gem around his neck was now vibrating in response.  
  
He moved around on the roof to get at a better angle when he saw it, somebody was standing in the doorway. "Hurph. More seekers." he huffed annoyed, they seemed to be discussing how they were going to work this. Drake huffed as he took possition drawing out the blade from behind his belt, one of the two blades called the Northern Wind. As he was about to strike when one of the seekers that stood in the doorway stepped out and approached the creature, but she didn't seemed to want to attack instead she walked slowly and kept her hands at her sides. Was she going to try to reason with it? Drake brought up his telescope...  
  
Drake's hands tightened around the lens as his eyes widened once her face was lit up by the torchlight. Three years passing or not it was no easy task to forget that face or the way she did her hair and the weapons at her sides that she had used since her childhood were a familiar sight as well. He growled as he sheathed the Northern Wind into the sheath behind his shoulder "Talim...what the hell are you doing?" he growled to himself as she stepped toward the monster. She was either hoping it wouldn't notice her, wouldn't consider her a threat or would continue with its prayer. No. That wasn't like her, his mind told him. She was going to try to reason with the behemoth. Drake tensely watched the events unfold.  
  
Talim stepped toward the creature as it continue his strange prayer, her hands kept away from her elbow blades as she hoped this would go well. If it didn't she'd have to fight it, with Yunsung's help it would hopefully be possible. She looked back at Yunsung who stood there looking out from the doorway trying not to be seen, if the monster attacked Talim he wouldn't have time to notice him coming at him. Talim breathed before she approached the monster questioning her own sanity, she stopped in a dead halt as the creature stopped his hailing of the sky and turned to look back at Talim with a pair of deep red eyes.  
  
"What are you?" Talim questioned under her breath as the monster completely turned to face her, its body lit up by the energy of its weapons. It was no longer human if it had ever been. It was a monster, pure and simple. Its flesh was well built up like any heavily training human but it was a dark green like the forests he had seen in the south. While he wore metal upon his arms and legs as armor there was a very odd...something strapped on his chest that seemed to burn and flicker like a little window into the fiery chaos of hell. There was a straight row of spiked poking up from his hairless scalp along with several growing on the upper part of his much more muscular left arm. This arm instead of a normal hand held a three fingered claw and there was what appeared to be a beast's horns on its arm. "Your no longer human, are you?" Talim concluded.  
  
Yunsung growled from where he concealed himself, sure he and Talim had had their differences but had gotten to be somewhat friends in time since they encountered one another again and he didn't like sending her like a lamb to slaughter. He creature made a strange grunt from his throat, a strange echo as it apparently spoke in its own odd language, this wouldn't be easy. He held up White Storm gripping the handle tightly moving his free hand to grip the blade double hand style. Slowly Talim held up her hands showing that she had no intention of fighting and she spoke to the monster that seemed somewhat at ease "We don't want to fight, we want to help you. Please." she said. Yunsung breathed.  
  
Talim took a deep breath as she felt a light gust of wind blow, the monster growled lightly at Talim but didn't attack "GTES GAE GETSU?!" he said in his monsterous voice that seemed to echo in his throat. Talim tensed up as suddenly she felt an energy burning from the odd glowing point in the monster's chest, it then narrowed its eyes at Talim displaying its fangs. Talim took a breath knowing it was hopeless as the creature made its move and jumped forward, it turned a flip landing right on its feet between its two weapons drawing them up "GOHEH HEMA BOGOGAH!" it roared before he brought them both down in a cross shape.   
  
Talim moved hard jumping up into a backflip her lithe form easily leaving the floor and sailing ten feet backwards before landing. Her hands shot to the sides of her legs grabbing her elbow blades, taking Syi Salika in her right hand and Loka Luha in her left she dropped into battle stance as the monster looked up bringing both the energy spikes together to form into an orb, this was not going to go easily. Talim couldn't believe what she was seeing, what this monster held within his hands couldn't be anything other but energy, though she was relieved to find it wasn't the same as what came from the shard. But it was definately something alien to this world.  
  
It growled before it brought its clawed hand through the air and the energy shot out in the shape of a large sword, Talim breathed unsure if she could hold off that kind of force. "EYOOS!" it roared before it jumped forward and swung high. Talim took air into her lungs swiftly before she moved down hard getting under the blade before she shot back up spinning her body at the monster. Syi Salika struck hard across the monster's chest followed by Loka Luha each of them getting some resistance from the thick flesh. She jumped away hoping she had hit vital organs, however the monster just looked at her before bringing back its arm.   
  
The energy returned to the shape of an orb again and the monster looked up at the doorway Yunsung concealed himself and hurled it. Yunsung's eyes went wide before he quickly jumped out of the doorway, the orb of solid energy made contact and went off in a powerful explosion completely leveling the entrance. Yunsung's palms went down hitting the floor before he sprung himself up onto his feet bringing up his blade glaring at the creature. He then instinctively ducked his head as the energy orb sprung back like a rubber ball to its master, this was far from good.   
  
The monster roared as Talim moved back next to him "Its power is incredible. We should leave." Talim said. Yunsung looked back at the destroyed exit "Thats going to be a little hard. Lets just bring this guy down." he shouted before running at the monster. The monster swung his weapon which formed into a blunt object with a blade on the end [AXE!!] Yunsung's mind screamed before he jumped up dodging it and then attempted to strike the weapon out of training reflex. This proved to be a very bad idea. The second it struck it was thrown back like it was needle being held against a fully armored knight.   
  
Yunsung back flipped and landed looking up right in time to move again, he dived hard as the axe came down and went under the monster's right arm slashing up. The blade hardly scrapped the surface of the monster's arm which shot down to grab him by the neck and hoist him up. "Yunsung!" Talim screamed before rushing in holding up both her elbow blades, however the monster was ready and gripped his weapon and then shot it out. It lashed out like a multi segmented whip right at her and she grunted to dodge.   
  
Drake watched as the tip of the energy weapon just missed Talim and came up to make another hit at her as she recovered. Drake growled before he tucked the gem into his shirt and gripped both his blades "To hell with this sneaking shit." he growled before jumping up and pushing off the roof hard. He dropped right toward the monster which looked up right in time to receive a foot hard across his face. Whoever was attacking then set down on his shoulders before jumping off and giving a swift kick to the back of the head, this resulted in Yunsung being released and the monster being sent to the ground.   
  
Yunsung grunted as his back hit the ground but quickly climbed to his feet in time to see the creature following, whoever had come to his rescue somersaulted once before landing down on one knee looking back at the creature. Yunsung looked toward him as Talim ran up to the both of them "Are you alright?" she asked Yunsung who held one of his arms. He nodded as he pulled his sword back up looking down at the monster that hadn't seemed to get up yet. Talim turned around to the warrior that had dropped in from the roof wanting to ask what his purpose was there, however all that came out was a soft gasp.  
  
The resemblance could not have been a coincidence. He was without a doubt human and appeared to be of western decent despite the amount of tan he possessed on his skin. His hair was a dark amber and his eyes from what he could tell by torchlight were just as bright blue as his own. He wore mostly black despite the fact he was in a desert. He wore loose fitting black pants with matching boots and a long sleeved jacket, there was a white collar shirt under it and he also wore fingerless gloves on his hands. He had two familiar tanto swords, essentially half length katanas for one who didn't know eastern blades. He stood at around five and a half feet and judging by his stance relied more on speed and agility that strength or aggression in battle. Clearly it was of the Wind Style and that ment it could only be one person.   
  
"Drake..." Talim whispered lowly under her breath. He looked toward her straightening up but keeping ready as the monster was hopefully down for the moment "Talim. What are you doing here?" he asked in a slightly annoyed voice. Yunsung looked toward them unable to figure out what was going on, however he hardly had the time to contemplate what their relationship was as he heard a low growl from the creature as it slowly rose up. He looked to both of them "I don't know who you are but you and Talim had better save the reunion for later!" he shouted bringing up his sword.   
  
Talim looked to Drake who looked back at her before looking at the monster "You up to this priestess?" he said using her title. She nodded before looking at the target bringing up her elbow blades again "As I'll ever be." she said. Yunsung stepped back to join to two as the boy drew out both of his swords keeping the blades pointed down in the same stance Talim did with her own blade. Clearly of the same style it was obviously a difference between male and female style "You should have killed him while he was still on the ground!" Yunsung shouted at Drake.   
  
Drake narrowed his eyes as he flipped one of the blades looking at the Korean fighter "Save your complaints for later." he ordered. Talim nodded as did Yunsung "Fine. Watch yourselves." he said as the monster rose up and gave a mighty roar of anger "EEEYYYYOOOOOOOOOSSSS!!" he roared as the three of them all snapped into stance ready to take it to him.  
  
Next Chapter: Of Winds and Gales  
  
The battle against the creature eventually revealed as Necrid continues. Raphael and Jack move to assist the younger warriors in any way they can and even after the battle comes to a close what is the nature of Talim and Drake's relationship.   
  
OOC: I want honest feedback to this. Do you think there should be some sort of a rivalry between Yunsung and Drake over Talim's affections. Essentially should there be an unofficial triangle between the three? 


	28. Of Winds and Gales

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Just to clear a few reviews up. Taki's personal life will break into more detail very soon, there will most definately be a complex rivalry between Drake and Yunsung over Talim. And just to let you know, Necrid has just retrieved his first shard from the village. After all that is the only way he thinks he can return to normal.  
  
PROFILES: WEAPON INFORMATION ADDED (See author's profile for the link)  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Of Winds and Gales  
  
It was truly a horrible sight everybody that had retreated to the cathedral had been mercilessly torn apart by whatever apparition had invaded this place. Mina stepped around flipping through a few notes, during her first journey she had looked into the writings of the western countries and knew a few things about Arabic. From what she could tell they had been experimenting with the Soul Edge, trying to figure out where it had originated from. The call had obviously prompted whoever had come to do so and take possession of it. Kyle had found a number of people that had all been decapitated and thrown into a back room, obviously those that had been poisoned by the shard during the tests.  
  
Mina gulped as she placed the book down, while only able to pick up a few words what few she could was enough to disturb her "This is the sickest thing I've ever seen." she breathed out slowly, wondering how she or Hwang could have ever wanted the blade for their own. Kyle shook his head as he stepped up picking up the book and looking at the blood stains upon it "A blade to make men monsters. Makes me ask, should I be hating the Soul Edge or the fool that allowed himself to be tainted by it." he says before he placed it down and leaned against the wall.   
  
Mina looked back to her long time friend that had for a long time now carried a powerful grudge against the blade's original owner for the death of his family. Silverbolt looked up lightly from its perch on the far end of the table and looked up as Mina spoke "Kyle..." she breathed out slowly. It had taken him a good while after they originally met to finally tell of his story, he wasn't traveling to claim or destroy the swords, his only purpose in life right now seemed to be to confront Cervantes de Leon and make sure that he did not come back a second time. It was sad that it had become almost an obsession and was taking him over.  
  
Kyle looked at Mina as she stepped over wrapping her arms around his neck warmly, he breathed bringing one arm up over her back "Please be careful Kyle. I don't want anything to happen to you, I have three dead friends who went after that man and so does Hwang. Don't do this alone." she said. Kyle took a breath as he pulled Mina off of him and looked into her eyes "Mina, I am not going to break my original promise. When he dies, he will know that coming back would be a waste of his time. I will not fight at his level." he said. She looked at him and nodded "Alright, just promise me you'll be careful." she begged.   
  
Kyle reached back pulling his long sword from his back and placed it on the ground, the oni blade called the Oblivion was something he considered closer to him than his own soul. He placed his hand over its handle and looked at her "You have my word, Mina." he said in a voice that was plain and slow. Mina nodded and they smiled at one another, suddenly there was a loud impact sound from above and Mina sprung out of their gaze bringing up the Scarlet Thunder "What the...?!" she cursed as Silverbolt flew from the room to inspect it.  
  
Kyle looked at Mina before pulling his blade from the ground and placing it back over his back into its sheath, there was another loud crash "Sounds like big problems." he growled. Mina and Kyle headed back to the main hall, parts of the ceiling had collapsed but Kyle easily cleared away one broken door with a swing of the surprisingly lightweight sword. He then moved on eventually reaching the main lobby, they rushed up the stairs as they heard a few shouts "Is that Yunsung?!" Kyle called. "He must have run into whatever started this!" she shouted.   
  
The creature gave another loud roar as it stood defiantly before the trio of young warriors stepped back and starred it down. Drake tossed his cloak off getting it out of his way and held his twin tantos in the Wind Dance position "Talim. You. Come here." he said. Yunsung looked toward him and crept up as Drake laid down a plan so simple that anybody could understand it "Alright. I'll hold back, the names Yunsung by the way." he said. Drake nodded before he turned back to the monster that stretched out its energy in its hands, suddenly it raised both arms and brought them back as if it was calling something forward.   
  
Yunsung shot to attention as he noticed a glow in the center of them "Move it!" he shouted as electricity flashed. Drake and Talim saw and pushed off running at the monster while Yunsung grunted jumping toward hitting the ground on his chest. There was a loud explosion from behind that seemed to ping in the backs of his ears for a few seconds as a solid hole was blown in the balcony. He looked up as Talim and Drake rushed at the monster as it recovered from its attack and prepared its energy weapon and held it up as they both approached. He swung it as it took that whip shape again, Yunsung held his breath.  
  
Drake and Talim were quick to react each of them respectively jumping or flipping over the attack and lunging at the monster, that was Yunsung's signal and he took off at the monster. Talim let out a hard battle shout as she swung both her blades to cut into the monster's side, Drake meanwhile landed around its left side and twisted to stab both of his blades into the monster's shoulders in hopes of incapacitating its arm. It roared before it gripped Talim up by the leg and tossed her across the balcony, Talim yelped as he lower back brushed the ground but she quickly recovered and brought her hands back to turn a flip and land in a crouch. This however resulted in a pair of scrapped up palms.  
  
Yunsung watched as Talim went by him and growled as he jumped up into the air and came down at the monster with his foot smashing it right into its jaw before coming down with his sword. The White Storm cut into the armor but only left scratches on it "Damn!" Yunsung grunted before he felt the energy weapon which was balled in the monster fist knock him to the side. The burning sensation caused him to grit his teeth hard as he hit the ground holding his hand over his shirt which showed a few burns on it.   
  
Drake rejoined them as the monster became disgruntled and took a breather "Okay. This isn't going well. Any ideas?" Yunsung asked. Drake breathed shaking his head looking back "Aside from kick its ass I'm fresh out." he said as seriously as he could. "What the hell is this thing?!" Yunsung growled in anger. "Necrid." Drake replied as if he had known it the entire time. Talim and Yunsung looked at him as he said this.   
  
Yunsung didn't like this "What the...how do you know its name?" he asked with a great amount of distrust. Drake breathed "The winds call the monster that destroys with the essence of the Soul Edge, Necrid." Yunsung looked at Talim wondering how well they knew each other for real. As he gazed at a recovering Talim, Yunsung suddenly noticed something past the monster toward the dunes, a slight flicker of light the monster roared as it composed itself and raised its arms."Here we go again." Talim murmured but she was interrupted by the most unexpected sound.   
  
A sharp but definite noise went off from over the dunes and there was a sudden wet smacking sound, the monster sniffed before looking down at it's shoulder. Suddenly there was a large amount of blood as it splashed out onto the floor, it roared in agony gripping the solidly pierced shoulder in pain. Talim and Yunsung smiled while Drake was trying to figure out who could possibly be that accurate with a modern day rifle. The monster roared as it raised one arm and chanted to the sky once again in its deep voice.   
  
Jack moved quickly as he took out another one of his specially sharpened bullets, unlike common musket balls they were made to travel a farther distance. Raphael looked up as he held another rifle they had gotten just in case, he held it loaded and ready for Jack as he was never one to rely on a distanced weapon "What is that thing Sorel?!" he shouted. The heir of the named clan shook his head "I've no idea. It certainly is trouble. Think you can make yourself useful and hit it in the head?" suddenly there was a loud roar as the monster bellowed at the moon "I think we pissed it off." Jack shouted at Raphael.  
  
The monster revealed as Necrid, roared before it raised it's strange weapon high in the air and gave another loud roar, Yunsung looked down at the floor of the balcony as the monster summoned power "Oh no...MOVE!!" he shouted. They all jumped off to the side as three respective explosions all went off from the attack the monster had used before, Drake looked at the monster as it prepared itself again "Everybody scatter!" he shouted. They all did so in random directions as three more explosions went off punching holes in the balcony that over looked the village.   
  
Kyle and Mina dashed back down the stairs as they found the entrance to the balcony completely collapsed, nobody was going to get through without the strength of Astaroth but neither had such power in their arm. Having heard the sounds of fighting they had decided to see if they could climb up to the tower however by the time they reached the main entrance they were hearing explosions from above. Both of them stepped out the front doors looking up at where the balcony was and watched in horror as holes were punched into it from out of nowhere, pieces of rock fell as it continued and they were quick to dodge.   
  
Kyle held his beloved sword up "What are they fighting?! I haven't heard of even Nightmare having such power!" Mina growled as a rock nearly hit both of them "Me neither, we have to help them somehow!" she said looking to the climbable looking sides of the cathedral. Kyle however grabbed her by the shoulders holding her back "What are you doing?!" she shouted at him. He pointed up to the eight struts that kept the balcony held up, four of them had been destroyed and the balcony was looking unstable.   
  
Mina shouted in shock as a large corner of it fell right for them, Kyle reacted quickly grabbing her around her waist and jumping off to the side. The rock buried itself in the sand as did his shoulder, Mina looked at the spot where they were both just standing. She looked back at Kyle then down to his arms at where they held her, she stood up and recovered her weapon backing off for two reasons. She knew that the balcony was going to fall within a few moments and she wanted to hide the amount of blush in her face at this point. She looked back "Yunsung! Talim! Its going to fall!" Kyle shouted out to them before he moved to join Mina and an approaching Raphael and Jack.   
  
Drake covered his head as another blast went off near him, Talim found it easy to avoid the blast but Yunsung had a few burns on him by now. Drake looked at the balcony as it looked like a piece of paper after being pierces several times by a pen "Stop it you fool! You'll kill us all!!" he shouted but the monster gave no attempt to yield in his destruction. The sounds of cracking stone entered Drake's ears and the balcony began to move, Yunsung looked up and ran toward the wall as the balcony began to fall. A section fell out under his feet as he jumped grabbing a section of the stone wall.  
  
Drake ran toward Talim as a few more blast went off around him and the whole platform began to tilt. It all fell apart almost instantly as Drake pulled Talim toward the wall, his feet left the ground as it fell out from under him and Talim's scream filled his ears. He grunted as his left hand shot to his sword unsheathing it before stabbing it into the soft stone wall of the chapel. His right hand gripped hard as gravity tried to take Talim along with the balcony, his hand brushed from her shoulder down her arm before they caught one another by the wrist. Talim smiled up at him and he nodded back to her as he watched the destroyed balcony fall, the monster vanishing under them.  
  
Kyle and Mina looked back as Raphael and Jack came up to them from the ridge "Where are the others?" Jack asked with concern. Raphael was more concerned about the monster at this point, Mina pointed up to Yunsung as he climbed down the side of the chapel followed by Talim, whoever the third was he was still up on the wall trying to retrieve his sword. Yunsung let go at about ten feet and touched down on the mix of sand and broken up stone, he ran to the others almost at once. Mina looked at him "What were you thinking?! You could have been killed?!" she shouted.  
  
Yunsung breathed before he spoke "Hey trust me Mina, that thing trapped us out there. I didn't have much of a choice neither did Talim." he said looking back as Talim stepped down from the wall. Raphael looked up as he felt something "I don't think this is over yet." as he said this there was a roar as several pieces of rock were thrown through the air. Kyle grunted as one hit him in the shoulder but it wasn't bad enough to keep him out of the battle, Yunsung without a second thought ran to Talim who was still there.   
  
Necrid gave a mighty roar as he stood there covered in cuts and bruises glaring right at Talim, Yunsung looked up "What does it take to make him fall." Talim murmured. Yunsung swipped his sword as he noticed the monster was looking around for a way of escape "Your going to have to go through me!" he shouted as he found himself standing on the uneven terrain. Talim prepared herself as Drake kicked off of the wall and rushed Necrid weaving around the larger chunks of rock, Yunsung was about to protest but Talim rushed toward the monster as well, he breathed as he waited for his chance to jump in.   
  
Talim ran at the monster again holding up her elbow blades as Drake jumped up kicking the monster in the head before boosting himself up. He then flipped coming down hopping the bring his heel into the monster's neck, if it was human this would take it to the ground. He smirked as his heel made impact on the monster's neck and the other touched onto the ground, Talim stopped as she could hear Drake's boot meeting the monster's flesh. Drake suddenly grunted as if showing signs of pain as the monster looked up "Drake!" Talim screamed as the monster raised back its claw.  
  
Drake winced from the pain in his foot, the monster's bones were as solid as steel. His eyes widened as the monster raised back his claw which held its weapon in the shape of a knife pointed down. He panicked and narrowed his eyes before he tossed himself back, his palms painfully met with the ground as he became completely inverted. The monster swung his arm just missing as Drake's free foot came up to smack him across the face hard enough to send his head off to the side. The monster slowly recovered but as it did noticed Talim from out the corner of his eyes coming almost at once after Drake's actions, it wouldn't be able to stop her.  
  
Talim jumped up into the air as Drake rolled off to the side of the deadly monster, taking in a breath sharply she brought back her first "Strike!" she shouted as the club end of Syi Salika smashed into the side of the monster's face. The monster tumbled and began to fall and Drake looked to Talim seeing she had also gotten better. The monster was barely left conscious before Yunsung rushed up right behind Talim and jumped into the air, his leg shot out to slam right into the monster's forehead. The monster's head flew back a loud cracking sound could be heard as it impacted on a rock. It didn't move anymore, it was finally down.   
  
Yunsung breathed as he supported himself in a kneeling position "Stay down this time!" he shouted. A shadow came over him and he found himself looking at Drake who offered his hand, he took it and was helped to his feet "Not bad." he said as he brushed himself off. He looked up noticing others coming toward them "Friends of yours?" Drake questioned as he sheathed the Northern Wind. Yunsung nodded "Yeah. I'll introduce you." he said. Yunsung then moved to step toward them but then noticed Talim who stood there looking at the mysterious young man. He looked right back at her and Yunsung just watched as Talim stepped toward him.   
  
Her arms and hands, free of her deadly elbow blades both moved to wrap around Drake's chest hugging him tightly "I missed you." she whispered to him. Yunsung's eyes went wide as a pang of jealousy struck him as he watched this, the boys movements were slow but he eventually raised one arm to hug her back. Talim stepped back to look at him "Drake, its been so long. Where have you been all this time?" she asked. Yunsung could hear this and was really confused, for a second it was obvious they were very close but now they were talking like siblings. Drake's hand moved behind his head as he spoke "I've been just about anywhere that can be interesting." he responded. They both laughed.  
  
Seung Mina had stepped up around the same time Talim had embraced him and couldn't help but ask "What exactly did we miss?" she asked. Yunsung looked back to his senior and shrugged "Apparently an old friend of Talim's." he stated trying to fight off the urge to curse Drake's name.   
  
Mina chuckled lightly at this as Yunsung insisted that he was just a friend, she watched as the two of them laughed "You sure that is all? They look a little closer than just friends to me." Raphael had been able to tell that Yunsung had some sort of attraction to Talim and couldn't help himself "I have to agree with Mina on that one." Yunsung rolled his eyes before he and Raphael walked over to Necrid trying to find the shard if it was anywhere on him. Mina and Kyle meanwhile approached Drake and Talim interrupting them.  
  
Talim looked up silencing her conversation with Drake as Mina spoke to her "Talim good to see your alright, you and Yunsung had us worried." Talim shrugged it off telling the older warrior not to judge skill upon age. Mina then looked toward Drake who had his hands resting in his pockets, he looked back at Mina giving a light nod of acknowledgment before turning to look over the horizon at the moon "Who might this be little Talim?" Mina questioned Talim with a chuckle.  
  
Talim looked at Mina before she crossed her arms "We're both from the wind village and yes we were very close in our younger years, though its been over three years since I last saw him." Mina remembered now that she had mentioned that the entire village looked out for one another and were like one large family. Drake looked toward Mina and Kyle nodding his head a few of the amber blond strands falling short of his vision "My name is Drake, I suppose any friends of Talim are friends of mine." Kyle and Mina both introduced themselves and shared a little idle chat until it came down to it.   
  
"So, Drake was it, what are you doing out this far in the middle of nowhere?" she asked. Drake breathed knowing that they were after the same and pointed toward the monster "Because it seems to be such an interesting hobby these days I'm hunting the shards of the Soul swords that are scattered all over this forsaken world." needless to say not one of the three expected this sort of explanation, but then again it seemed to be the only thing that a warrior was to do these days. Kyle looked right at Drake before speaking "Why? What have you to gain?" he asked in a deep seriousness.   
  
Drake crossed his arms as he reached up to his neck breaking the glowing red gem off, the same one that Ivy had given him. "Forgive me if I seem shallow but the Soul Edge is in high demand from several people, some are just collectors. Do you have any clue how much a person is willing to pay for just this little piece, it isn't even strong enough to come near my soul. Of course the only other one I've sold bring doom to the buyers, I ended up destroying them in the end." he explained. Talim was slightly relieved.  
  
Drake chuckled explaining he didn't feel remorse should be felt, after all the man who's death he is responsible for was a would-be tyrant of a southern country. Mina looked at him a little skeptic of his story "Point taken. So do you search for their power, profit or to destroy these shards?" she inquired. Talim looked at him hoping that he truly hadn't decided upon such a thing, after all the blade had done he couldn't have just been a middle man for moving them around.   
  
Drake ran one hand through his hair before he spoke "The Soul Edge is evil, there is no question about it there is no way you could convince me otherwise, no matter how hard you try." Talim had only heard this from Sophitia and looked right at Drake "You've seen the Soul Edge?!" she blurted out. Drake grit his teeth as the fate he couldn't tell them washed over his mind "Yeah, and believe me I regret it. I don't think I'll ever look at a broad sword the same way again. Thats why I decided to just hunt shards." he said. He gave them a short story about Nightmare using its flat end to knock him off a canyon into a river, they seemed to buy it.   
  
"I think we can just lift it out!" Yunsung suddenly called over to them. Raphael slipped his gloves back on his hand as he looked into the strange object on the monsters chest "Be careful Sorel." Jack warned. The swordman took his chance and brought back his gloved left hand to dive into the fiery cloud of the monster's chest. His hand went inside like it was a portal of sorts, he could feel the burn outside his glove but slowly began to lift whatever was inside out, however just as he got to grab onto whatever was there, there was a grunt as the monster's fiery crimson eyes opened.   
  
Necrid brought back his left arm and swung hard just as Raphael pulled his hand free of the void that was contained on the monster's chest. He swiftly moved swinging his arm to strike out at Jack who grunted as he was slapped away by the whip shapped energy weapon. Yunsung jumped back as Necrid held a hand over his chest, he then dropped it going into stance. As he took his hand away two metal plates closed over the light sealing the entrance, Raphael growled as the monster formed in his hand a sword shape and rushed at the others with them in hopes of escape. Kyle stepped in front of Mina along with Drake but they were not Necrid's targets.   
  
He ran to the side suddenly into a cleared out area and the energy glowed down to his hands creating claws of some sort. He then jabbed them out into the air and amazingly they hit something, he tore open a hole in the air as one would tear a hole in fabric. There was a strong amount of wind from the portal the monster had just created, Drake growled as he saw this "The void...damn it." he murmured as the monster looked back once before jumping in, once through he closed it without a hesitation and as long as it took for it to appear, it was gone.   
  
After managing to calm down Yunsung rejoined the group sitting on the rocks left behind by the destroyed balcony. Mina sat on another as the moon rose to the center of the sky, Raphael sat with Jack trying to brush the soot off his glove. Talim sat on one rock and Drake sat at her feet with a hand on his chin. Kyle was the only one standing leaning on his blade which was stabbed into the ground and his hawk on his shoulder "So what do we do now?" he asked with annoyance. Raphael shrugged "There isn't much we can do besides regroup with the White Wind and hope they had better luck than we did." Drake's ears lightly perked up as he heard this.  
  
Mina nodded at this before she stretched out "We can stay the night here and begin moving again in the morning." Mina suddenly noticed Drake standing up and yawning "Well as much as I'd love to stay and impose, time is opportunity these days." he said before he started to move. Talim jumped up and walked up to him "Drake. You could always come with us, it isn't like another blade could hurt. Wherever we're going I'm sure you'll be a lot better off by sea than on foot." she said with a cute smile. Drake breathed as he hated involving her but he didn't have a choice.  
  
Kyle agreed as he could hear them from where he stood "It would be no problem. Between the White Wind and Talim we were beginning to become social repressed." Mina agreed as well though Yunsung didn't answer, he didn't know how to feel about Drake being so close to Talim. Drake smiled "Alright then. If your sure you can put up with me." he stated with a light laugh.  
  
Raphael chuckled as the cheerful nature of Talim and Drake's serious yet carefree spirit reminded him lightly of Amy and one of his better friends back in France. Mina laughed "I've been putting up with Yunsung the last six year of my life, I doubt you can be much worse." Yunsung sent Mina a light glare but even he laughed. If nothing else they would at least have a few entertaining memories from this trip. Drake however couldn't believe it had been this simple, while he failed to get the shard anything he could bring them on the White Wind would be useful. Though it hurt him to use Talim in such a way, but it was all to protect both her and her people.   
  
Next Chapter: Untitled  
  
The White Wind and the Four Blades regroup and head for Venice. Nightmare and the rest of the Black Wind return to the Nemesis and wait for Diablos to retrieve Drake from the desert feeling that the shard has fled. Nightmare takes his frustration out until his attention is taken to another presence one of a darkness that rivals himself. Who is this stranger and what is his connection to the elven that remains immune to Soul Edge?  
  
OOC: Small question. Who should I do next, should I have Heihachi show up again or finally introduce Spawn? Big question. Should I stress myself to put up the next chapter ASAP? (You know you want it) 


	29. Pact With The Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: This is probably one of the higher points of the story that I have been waiting to finally put in so I want a lot of feedback. Your reviews is what keeps this going, I need to know weather or not you saw this coming.  
  
PROFILES: Drake's Background Added (See author's profile for the link)  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Pact With The Darkness  
  
It had been just over a day since they returned and already the White Wind was prepared to leave, actually they had been ready to finally hit the waves again since they arrived the night before but both Link and Maxi insisted they wait on Talim and Jack. Talim of course had the most sensitive ability to track the shards and Jack was one of Maxi's neighbors from his most recent place of residence, it wouldn't be right to just leave them. While one wound have expected Mitsurugi or Taki to be annoyed they felt it was better that they not rush it so quickly, the Eternal Wind needed to be restocked and Sophitia and some of the others were still resting at the Inn they had checked themselves into.   
  
On the Eternal Wind Link and Cassandra found themselves along with Maxi, Mitsurugi, Taki and the two brothers who helped man the ship. Maxi looked back at Taki who sat on the railing of the ship, her legs crossed as she sat in a casual kimono polishing one of her blades "Are you sure they will be back soon?" Taki looked up nodding her head as she ran a soft silk cloth over Mekki-Maru, the blade glowed lightly "Yes. They just entered the town not to long ago, I feel they have obtained a very small piece of the Soul Edge." she said. Maxi shut up, something about how Taki was able to bring Mekki-Maru under her control creeped him out.   
  
Cassandra and Mitsurugi helped Michael and Stephan prep the sails while Link had wandered toward the front of the ship to speak with Maxi and Taki "Where are we headed again?" he asked with a light yawn. Maxi looked up as Taki sheathed her sword listening, perhaps she lacked a visit to their target in her journeys "We are headed to a city called Venice, called one of the more romantic places in the east, its built on the water so take that into account incase there is trouble." Taki huffed as she heard this "How long is this going to take us?" she asked. Maxi explained it would take around two weeks, Taki cursed not wanting to spend fourteen days on such a crowded boat.  
  
Maxi turned his head lightly as Stephan stepped up the stairs speaking up "Alright, we're ready to move whenever you guys are ready. Oh, Sophitia and the others just stepped onto the docks. Looks like were all accounted for." Maxi nodded to his friend. Link followed Maxi as he stepped down to greet Sophitia and the others "You feeling any better?" Link asked Sophitia who nodded simply before looking at Cassandra then back to him "Lets just get on the move as soon as possible." she said before she stepped below decks carrying some of the baggage with her.   
  
Michael looked past the railings toward the Nightwraith that had been ready to go since earlier that morning "Looks like they're back." he said as he saw the familiar figure of Raphael step up to the deck of the ship along with the other three of their group. He also noticed Talim heading over from the same ship but somebody was following her, nobody he had seen before.   
  
When Kilik asked why they were waiting on the Nightwraith as well Stephan explained that they had discussed it with Maxi and Naoyuki. The Four Blades would follow the White Wind and they would work together as any information they could get at this point would involve mutual gain to both of them. This would include alternating between members on board the ships, while the Eternal Wind was large enough to accommodate all of them, some needed their own time to train. He stopped talking as the sound of Talim's shoes became apparent on the ramp.   
  
Talim stepped back on board the familiar ship and placed her bag on the ground lightly stretching before she was approached by Link and Cassandra "So how did everything go?" Link asked her. Talim shook her head "It was a lost cause. The shard got away." Link cursed lightly under his breath but told her that it was perfectly okay.  
  
Cassandra spoke up next as Talim was about to ask the obvious next question "We're heading to Venice, Talim. We have reason to believe that somebody who knows more about the Soul Edge that possibly even Nightmare is there." both Link and Talim had been so busy speaking with his first friend of the world he had not noticed her friend.   
  
"Venice, it is truly a very fine city in the cooler seasons." said a voice from behind Talim. Kilik looked up at the young man that had apparently followed Talim onboard the ship "You must be mistaken, this is not a toll ship. Please leave." Kilik said.   
  
Talim looked at Drake as he narrowed his eyes as if he had been insulted and quickly spoke up "Wait. He is with me, we ran into one another in the desert. He like the rest of us seeks the destruction or at least the exorcism of the Soul Edge. He is an old friend." Maxi breathed not knowing how to feel about yet another youngster taking passage on his ship but decided to just cut him some slack "I'm going to skip all of the 'this isn't a game' crap and get to the point, can this kid half way defend himself Talim?" he asked.   
  
Talim smiled lightly before she spoke "He is without a doubt at least my equal in the Wind Dance style, and I believe he might have studied others." Mitsurugi raised an eyebrow lightly toward Talim before speaking "Really? Such as what?" he asked out of common curiosity. Drake chuckled lightly to himself crossing his arms "Mostly mixed eastern styles, I've rarely taken the time to actually devote myself to any particular style outside the Wind Dance." Mitsurugi nodded, he pretty much understood where the young Drake was coming from.   
  
Maxi looked at Drake for a long moment before looking back at the rest of the group "Its your call guys. I just captain this thing, its your choice." Taki shrugged before speaking "I don't see why not, but he'd best do as we say while he is on board." Mitsurugi and Kilik nodded in agreement. Cassandra took notice that the boy was of western decent but didn't let it bother her "It couldn't hurt." she said. Maxi breathed before he nodded "Alright. We can save introductions for later, I just want to get out of this little piece of nowhere before I lose my mind." he said taking his place at the wheel.   
  
Drake walked with Talim to the front of the ship, Taki took notice on how one of Drake's hands always held the hilt of one of his swords. It was more than just and idle stance, it greatly resembled the original training stance she had been taught before she took the liberty of modifying it. Something about this boy did not seem as pure and other worldly as Link or Talim, she decided she would have to keep an eye on him. Within the next ten minutes both ships had left the harbor and were heading back out into the ocean, en route to Venice where hopefully, all their questions would be answered.   
  
(Yeah yeah I know that was a little lame, but it isn't the meat of the chapter)  
  
In the meantime. While the unsuspicious Drake found himself easily infaltrating the ranks of both the White Wind and the Four Blades the Black Wind had arrived back at their own floating base of operations, all of them were organizing to get on the move and try to anticipate the next action of their enemies. But after such a humiliating turn of events, the long trek through the desert and such knowledge of what he was up against, Nightmare was far from being his perfectly calm, cool as ice self. One could easily tell this as they back themselves against the wall at the sounds of his rantings on the main deck.   
  
Cervantes de Leon for one found Nightmare's outburst of pent up anger and stress very entertaining. The Azure Nightmare, the hard as nails warrior that constantly pushed the opinion that he was better than all those around him was having a fit of rage. A flamburg had been driven straight through the thick wooden mast of the ship and the Soul Edge was impaled into the deck. Nightmare of course lacked his armor as normal but had struck his bare fists into the deck several times, most of this was triggered by one of his destroyers suggesting they retreat, this fool had been hurled toward the rocks at the sides of the ship.  
  
Astaroth had gone down below with his Berserkers as had Renzor and his troops, the elves had also retreated not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. Most of the regular troops were toward the front of the ship while the commanders were at the back witnessing Nightmare outrage. Ivy watched as Nightmare slammed his fist for a third time into the deck, such force would be expected to produce at least a hairline fracture but he hardly reacted to the pain in his hands. Ivy finally spoke up after what seemed like ages "Perhaps you should calm yourself. I doubt that a single being could be that much of a problem to us." she said.   
  
Anubis shook his head from where he stood "I disagree, the boy's purity is almost infinite. I don't know how it can be possible but there is no true darkness to be manipulated within him. He could very well be more of a threat than the Athenian ever could, or Nightmare's better half should he still be among the living." Cervantes nodded his head, as much as he despised Nightmare any problem that faced the Soul Edge also faced the Soul Blade. He spoke "It is bad enough that we have a new punk that can control a weapon of such power but we also have the Athenian and that demon huntress to contend with, and all three of them are well versed in their skills." he said warning them.   
  
Nightmare turned around stepping to the railings of the ship slapping his palms down "You think I don't understand that. What you do not seem to catch is that the sword that boy carried could have completely destroyed the Soul Edge had Ivy not stopped him. We have experiance with Sophitia and the ninja, but this new one I could only read one thing from his soul and it was that his determination is clear and I doubt he will stop until he has destroyed both blades." this was followed by a long amount of silence.  
  
All the while the leaders of the Black Wind spoke they were being watch from a figure that stood upon the mast, dressed completely on black it was no wonder he had gotten as far as he did. He also wore a black cape that lightly fluttered in the wind, the hood shadowing his face [So they failed, I'm not surprised.] he said as he continued to listen, despite the surprising distance. He was slow in his movements as he raised a weapon to be pointed down toward them from the forward most mast wanting to see if helping them would truly be worth him time, without much time aiming he released his grip from the end of an arrow.  
  
Anubis looked back as he felt a burst of power from behind, this was right before an object flew through the air cloaked in the shadows flew through the air exploding against the deck. Cervantes was thrown off his feet and landed on the deck but quickly recovered growling "Stay sharp we are not alone." he growled. Cervantes brought up Turmoil the pistol sword that was his secondary weapon "Anubis. Where is that voice coming from?" he growled. Anubis closed his eyes sensing his way through the shadows produced by the moonlit sky, he then pointed to the mast that was across the deck where the lower ranks were. This was just in time to see a figure jump from the mast landing in the center of the orcs and Uruk-Hai.   
  
Several of the sub-human creatures watched as something dropped down from belong, he took aim down before something shot at them exploding against the deck with a great deal of force sending several of them flying. He landed tossing back his cape and unsheathing a sword as several of the orcs attacked him, he swung hard clashing with some for a few seconds before pushing back. The sheer force of his blows was more than enough to send some of them tumbling back out of his way as he progressed toward the back deck, the orcs however stood ready to stop his advance.   
  
Nightmare and Ivy stepped up to stare toward the aft deck as the single unseen figure dropped one orc after another to the deck "Who the hell is that?!" Cervantes shouted as Anubis looked up. They all looked up as they felt wind and Diablos hit the deck folding his wings "I checked over the area and I cannot find your little dog Valentine." he said in reference to Drake before looking up, he became a little defensive "I'll take it this is more than one of the orc population's inner squabbles." Anubis nodded as he watched another one of the orcs get thrown off the deck. They were attacking mostly in trios but were not getting anywhere, it was almost as if they couldn't see their target.  
  
Suddenly there was a loud stomping sound as Astaroth stepped out from below decks, the orcs all seemed to back off at once and they finally got their first good look at the creature they were fighting. Nothing that resembled detail could be seen of him, he seemed to be nothing more than a shadow wearing a cape and carrying a double edge sword. Anubis spoke up "Looks like a stealth technique, when a being accustomed to the shadows implores them to cling to his being, but something about this isn't quite the same." he announced as Astaroth swung his axe challenging.   
  
Nightmare looked up as Cervantes started down the stairs toward the lower deck "What are you doing?" Nightmare asked as he saw this. Cervantes looked back lightly adjusting his hat "Well, I'm bored and this looks entertaining." he said before he continued. Nightmare looked back at the two demons as Diablos took to the air once again flying up to land on the mast of the sails, Anubis vanished under cover of shadow and reappeared on the sidelines. Nightmare breathed before he recovered Soul Edge and started walking, Ivy followed him with equal interest in a being that could get this far by himself.   
  
All of the Orcs and Uruk-hai backed off as Astaroth's ax cut through the air with a mightly woosh before coming up into his stance, the figure stood across from him his cape lightly ruffled by the wind Astaroth produced with his weapon. He gave an unseen smirk as he swipped his blade before sheathing it behind his back and then rushing at Astaroth jumping up into the air. Astaroth gave a mighty swing at the opponent who kicked up his legs to just dodge the ax, Astaroth then grunted as he was kicked across the face and dropped back against the deck. The shadow spoke in a dark haunting voice "Pathetic, is this all the infamous Black Wind has to offer me?" he asked.   
  
Suddenly there was a high concentration of charged energy from behind as suddenly another figure came at him in a spinning motion with a pair of swords. Without much hesitation he jumped into the air at least five feet throwing his head back as the immortal pirate passed under him stopping a few feet away. The other figure turned his backflip just in time to land on the deck his knee hitting first, he breathed as Cervantes turned to look back at him, his eyes landed on the Soul Blade which he held in his grip. The source of the manipulative shards that had done such wonderful carnage to his homeland, it was all too hilarious.  
  
The shadow spoke toward Cervantes as he stood up brushing his arms off "Not bad old man, had it not been for the short prep time you would have killed me, but I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen just yet." Cervantes stood up straight pointing Turmoil toward him "Who are you stranger?" the shadowy figure gave another unseen smirk as he straightened up running one hand under his hood to brush his hair aside "Oh wouldn't you like to know, but your all going to have to try harder. I'm still not convinced." he said with a smile.   
  
Cervantes welcomed any challenge that could be thrown at him and jumped into position rushing the figure with both his swords. The figures hands shot back drawing out a sword and a shield as he discarded the cape, the pistol sword's tip stabbed into a shield of solid metal somehow as black and shaded as the rest of him. The other arm twisted up with a sword to clash with the Soul Blade, Cervantes jumped back and in mid-air fired off a single shot from the pistol sword. Powered by the Soul Blade it appeared as a thunderbolt being fired from the muzzel.  
  
The bolt struck the figure hard in the chest sending him tumbling over the deck, he however stopped heard the stairs and growled "Cheap shot." he cursed before he rushed Cervantes again. Cervantes was shocked anybody could survive that, it was as if a concentrated blast of Soul Blade's energy had no effect against him. He jumped into the air bringing down the black bladed sword, Cervantes quickly guarded with his own vile blade before he swung it up to strike. The figure swung his own leg to trip Cervantes and then he went in with his blade to finish him off, Cervantes hardly was concerned.   
  
As he attempted this he heard movement and moved just as the other blade, the Soul Edge cut through the air just barely missing him as he jumped to the side. Nightmare looked at Cervantes "Dead already or not it takes the energy from both our swords to heal your sorry ass." he said before looking around. The outline a person could be seen leaning up against the heavy oak mast, all that could be seen of him was a silhouette and it still wasn't very detailed in the shadows that clung to his being in the already pitch night. The figure breathed as he removed his hood showing that his face was just as pitch with the shadows as the rest of him.  
  
Nightmare growled as he stepped up to glare at the revealed soul that dared to set foot upon his floating fortress and then start a large scale fight with his troops "Identify yourself at once! Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you!" he shouted. The figure stepped out onto the mask stretching out his arms slightly, not much else could be seen as his face was covered by a hood and only the lower part of his face showed. He spoke up his voice sending chills up Ivy's spine, something about him just got under her skin "My name is none of your concern, consider this a test. Just to see if there is any likelihood you could ever defeat the wielder of the Master Sword." the stranger said.   
  
Astaroth climbed to his feet and was ready to rush again when Anubis looked at him shaking his head, the behemoth complied staying where he had been ordered. The stranger stepped down from the mast holding up his sword toward Nightmare "Lets see if you are truly as skilled as they fear you are." he said in a voice that would mock any warrior. An invitation to fight was all Nightmare needed before he just flat out gripped the Soul Edge and rushed the stranger swinging hard toward the ground "Die!" he shouted. The stranger was quick to move. He jumped back flipping once, his hands contacting the deck before he landed again standing up, he breathed slowly clearly ready to take Nightmare on.  
  
Nightmare took the time to size him up as he stood in a stance that was still lacking a weapon, he was around the same height as the elf but something was different about this one. He paid it no mind as he rushed him swinging the Soul Edge, the stranger still cloaked in the shadows jumped up just barely dodging the sword. Nightmare couldn't understand what he was seeing, even as the stranger moved through the moonlight and torchlight the shadows still masked his body, something about his was otherworldly and Anubis seemed to be clueless as well as the challenger backflipped landing on the railing of the ship.   
  
Nightmare turned toward him standing up straight as he looked at the stranger casually pace up and down the narrow railing "Stop jumping around and fight me." he growled. The stranger didn't speak as he stopped and then something happened, a glowing red line appeared on his cheek and he huffed reaching his hand up, his eyes were finally in view a pair of dark red pupils looked at Nightmare's crimson gaze. With every movement that this challenger made Nightmare was reminded of the boy from the desert.   
  
The silhouette of his opponent haunted him, he couldn't see past the shadows that surrounded it but it was strange the way that just looking at him made him reflect on what that boy's darkness should have been. Whoever this was he must have figured that he was testing Nightmare but he was done fooling around and gripping his blade moved hard at the challenger, Nightmare's opponent was quick to move jumping away as the blade came down to dig into the railing. Nightmare looked back as the stranger sailed over his right shoulder, without a second of hesitation he yanked Soul Edge back toward him.  
  
The stranger grunted as the blade of Soul Edge struck his back but didn't penetrate as there was a metallic clang, he hit the deck on his knees but quickly got to his feet as Nightmare turned and rushed again. As the Soul Edge came down a second time, the stranger's arms shot up one of them holding a shield to slap the broad blade of the Soul Edge away from him. He followed up by swinging his sword at Nightmare which was just barely blocked by the Soul Edge. The two remained in a power struggle pushing against one another and the Soul Edge seemed to somehow became a little stronger in the stranger's aura.   
  
Ivy had been watching and had been waiting too long, she looked back at Diablos who seemed stumped "This is very ominous. While he is clearly not of the same Soul pattern his style mimics the one that Nightmare now fears. Something is not right here." he said with a growl. Ivy decided that she was going to get some answers one way or another and without another second of waiting she whipped out her weapon and thrust it toward the stranger. The blade fired out of the hilt stretching itself out in a long multi-segmented projectile, the stranger looked up and pulled back just as the blade cut between him and Nightmare.   
  
It snapped back toward Ivy as she prepared to attack again, Nightmare stepped back clearing the area of impact as Ivy snapped it forward again. The stranger grunted as he moved to the side the weapon tearing through his clothing breaking flesh, as it slashed him on the side the shadows seemed to vanish melting off his being as he reacted. The shadows were pulled from him as the whip returned and as she fired it off again, but as she looked up she finally caught a look at him, the clothing and the weaponry. As she questioned her own eyes the stranger jumped up flipping toward her. One foot landed to clamp down on the weapon while he swiftly side stepped around her pulling her other arm back, before Ivy could make another move a blade was brought to her throat.   
  
Ivy breathed as this new warrior now had her dead to rights, Cervantes stood off to the side now holding both of his swords while Nightmare looked right at him with Soul Edge in his grasp. The stranger spoke as he found himself hiding his face behind the frame of Isabella Valentine "Not bad. Not bad at all. Perhaps the Black Wind is worth my time after all. Have I gotten your attention yet, or must I continue to show what I am capable of." Nightmare lowered the Soul Edge as it spoke to him, it actually told him to stand down. It told him that this warrior ment no harm to any of the Black Wind. Nightmare spoke to him "Turn Ivy loose and then we can speak." he said narrowing his eyes.  
  
"As you wish." he responded, complying with Nightmare's order. The stranger took his foot from Valentine and pushed Ivy toward Nightmare who caught her, she looked up catching a slightly shocked expression on his face. She then turned back expecting to see the face of some brash warrior looking for fame but what she saw filled her with a heavy amount of shock and surprise. Several thoughts filled her head at this point, the lore between Nightmare and the one called Siegfried, the missing darkness of the boy from the desert. It was hard to see passed this most obvious piece of evidence, this stranger looked almost exactly like him. Aside from the darker hair, bright red eyes and almost ash skin tone they were exact duplicates.   
  
Cervantes finally spoke what everybody else was thinking "What in the hell is going on? He looks just like that pest from the desert." he said with an actual tone of shock in his own voice. "His name is Link." the darker version of the boy in question stated sharply, his voice was smooth, low and confident. Nightmare looked around as he pulled Soul Edge from the deck looking at the speaker "You would be surprised at how many times his simple existence has been a truly vexing problem. He seems to exist only to foil the ambitions of men such as yourself and another much like you back where he hails from." he explained.  
  
Nightmare wasn't surprised, it made since for an exact copy of this Link to know about him. Anubis looked at Diablos shaking his head claiming that the existence of this apparition was no his doing "But I can safely say that he is no man made. It is very shaded but this creature has his own soul. No amount of magic could create such a perfect opposite." Diablos stayed quiet as he continued to watch. Isabella Valentine having recovered finally addressed the shadow after sheathing her sword "Link huh? Well then who are you?" she asked pretty interested at this point.  
  
This apparition. No, this figure of the darkness. No, this shadow of Link raised his sword toward them all in one slow motion "To one such as yourself, I have no name. I have fought my way here from a world where such things are meaningless. My only wish now is to destroy the one that placed me there. The same one that has caused the Soul Edge to know fear." he said in a voice that resembled Link's but in a darker and smoother nature. Ivy recovered her composure and looked at him, there was something about a dark version of a being so pure not even Soul Edge could effect him that was pretty admirable to her.   
  
She spoke after a few moments of looking him up and down trying to count the near endless similarities "You've come to destroy this Link?" the shadow nodded his head before he stepped back toward the railings "Yes. While many would call it trivial revenge, he is the man that allowed the sages of our homeland to steal my birthright. He then caste me into a void of infinite light and darkness, a void of nothing. A purgatory of complete solitude ment to be a punishment for eternity. He will pay for my pain." he said his voice becoming much deeper as his eyes glowed a bright and piercing red that rivaled Nightmare's possessed gaze.   
  
Nightmare crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against Soul Edge "Then why do you come to us? You seem to be just as powerful as he is. What is stopping you from taking your shot?" the shadow breathed as he took a seat on the railing and looked at Nightmare "It isn't that simple. Link has been rigorously put through most any challenge the natural and unnatural world had to offer him. It leaves him with a high amount of creativity which allows him to very easily think on his feet, and the fact that he is traveling with others makes it difficult now doesn't it?" he rhetorically asked. Nightmare nodded understanding.   
  
Ivy looked at the apparition as he shared this information with him "You wish to request our help in destroying him. We're flattered but we must ask what is in it for us?" the shadow simply laughed before looking at Ivy "Mutual gain. After all he is the only one that can control a sword that will threaten Soul Edge, it also has the ability to reconstruct any weapon. Specifically the only other one that Soul Edge has ever feared." he stated. Nightmare narrowed his eyes as the apparition told them this "The Soul Calibur." he growled, now wishing that he had not thrown them that shard, he believed it was completely useless.  
  
The shadow sighed closing his crimson eyes "I don't expect you to trust me any more than you trust one another. I simply wish for you assistance in eliminating him, in return my sword and my service are yours. Like Link, I am trapped in your world." Cervantes nodded his head toward the apparition "It sounds like a good plan to me, but nothing funny or I will put a hole in your chest." he threatened. The shadow paid Cervantes' threat no mind as he gave a light bow toward Nightmare and Ivy, Ivy in response gave her own slight bow pretty much forgetting the fact he was willing to kill her just minutes prior to the present.  
  
With this done he started toward the railing once again and Nightmare spoke up "Hey where are you going?" he shouted at him. He looked back at them "I've never been much of a team player unless I must. I pretty much know where Link will head and I plan to intercept him there before he can get his hands on another shard of the Soul Calibur. If you want to insure his destruction follow me." he slowly reach behind his back "I pretty much doubt I'll be needing something such as this. It was the only way I could breach your forsaken world." he said before he turned and hurled something right at Nightmare.   
  
His free hand casually shot up as something slammed right into his fist glowing and crackling with crimson lightning, a large shard of the Soul Edge. Nightmare chuckled "Thanks. Now who are you I want to hear it from your mouth." he said as he absorbed the energy from the shard. The shadow looked back at him before speaking "Only Link addresses me by my true name..." he said allowing everybody to get this registered before speaking. "The mortals of Hyrule however call me Dark Link." he said. Such a title seemed appropriate for one such as himself, but the fact of what he truly was remained a mystery to this point.   
  
Dark Link looked at the Soul Edge as its eye glared right at him something about him made the blade envious of him, Dark Link suddenly spoke "What I really am is my own business. Once I feel that I can trust you or once Link's life has ended I'll tell you. Whichever one comes first." with this said he walked away the darkness slowly gathering up around him before he vanished into a cloud of putrid black mist. It took the commanders a few seconds to recover before Anubis finally spoke up.  
  
"It would be an obvious move to track and pieces of the Soul Calibur, while the blade wielded by the elf may be able to shatter the Soul Edge it cannot truly wipe it from existence." Cervantes cursed lightly "You know all this and yet you still have no clue where they might be?" suddenly there was a echoing sound from the Soul Edge as it once again spoke directly into their minds in its series of signals THE SOUL CALIBUR IS A BLADE MADE TO DESTROY ME! IT WILL DO ALL IT CAN TO SURVIVE! THE FRAGMENTS LIKELY WENT TO THOSE WHO HAVE THE UPMOST WILL TO DO SUCH AN ACT!  
  
Nightmare looked at Cervantes "Do you believe this 'Dark Link' can be trusted?" Cervantes nodded his head slowly "I believe we can. His ambition to destroy his lighter side is beyond measure and I doubt that he has any interest in stabbing us in the back." he said as he watched Ivy step toward the railing of the ship wondering if he had truly just vanished into the darkness. There was a long akward silence as Nightmare looked at Ivy slightly admiring her but at the same time wondering on the possibilities.  
  
Nightmare breathed before speaking "De Leon. I believe I know where one of them is." he said. Cervantes looked at him as he spoke "Don't forget your 'daughter' had so much ambition she dedicated her life to destroying the blade before it took hold of her. At such a point in time don't you think that she would have been worthy to use a piece of the Soul Calibur in her crafts?" Cervantes nodded his head commenting he was correct. Nightmare looked at him before looking north able to feel a very faint signal in the back of his mind "We are going to England." he said simply.  
  
Next Chapter: undecided  
  
The White Wind and the Four Blades head toward Venice with the intent of meeting Siegfried who they believe is still in the area. Along the way more is revealed on Link's escapades along with a little more information on the newcomer, Drake. But in what way does any of his past or style connect to Taki? And exactly what is the uncomfortable feeling Link feels in the air.  
  
OOC: HA HA! There goes one of my shockers. Anyway let me explain. Dark Link is NOT the same one you fight in the Water Temple on OOT. He is litterally Link's repressed darkness that the Soul Edge would need to control him. More on how he came to be will be revealed in later chapters, but they won't come unless you REVIEW!!! 


	30. Looking Back, Looking Forward

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: If you wish to check into the changes that are made to the traditional Ocarina of Time story which Link will be speaking of in this chapter. Check chapters 1-6 of my OOT novelization.  
  
PROFILES: Dark Link's Profile Added, Drake's Background Added (See author's profile for the link)  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Looking Back, Looking Forward  
  
While this unholy partner ship between the Azure Nightmare and the darkness of Link was agreed upon, the seekers of the Soul Edge found themselves blissfully unaware as they finally had a chance to rest after their trials in Oman. Both of the ships stayed close together connected few ropes and long board that connected both of them for the moment, after their first encounter with the creature called Charade they were not going to take any chances in the same region. Seeing as how Link still had some scars to show for it and Yunsung was just getting over bruises, it was their insistence that made them stop near an Eygptian port and grab the boards.  
  
While several of the two groups congregated leaving out Maxi and Naoyuki being the only ones who remained on duty sailing the ships, Taki found herself sitting on a part of the mast looking down at them. This was pretty much her trademark spot as it was her job to wait and watch her surroundings, that is it used to be before Toki had her evacuated from the Fu-Ma and considered her an enemy because she would not allow him to take the Mekki-Maru. She breathed lightly as she looked across the deck at the happenings.  
  
Sophitia was still worried about Siegfried. It was pretty obvious that the others wished to at least offer their best and shared in prayer with her, the group of Kilik, Xianghua and even Yunsung pretty much showed this off. Raphael was apparently back on the Nightwraith speaking with Stephan and Michael about the creature that the Four Blades had encountered hoping they could tell him something they might have learned from their escapades. Mitsurugi was keeping to himself as always in the ships hold, she didn't understand him but he reminded her of how Toki himself was when he was a younger warrior, now easily her senior by fifteen years.  
  
She looked over toward the railings on the sides of the ship near the makeshift bridge where the two youngest of the group were. The one that had introduced himself as Drake had been very quiet in the last few days, of course he had not truly spoken to anybody but Talim until they reached port and got the supplies for the half assed bridge of theirs, which was only lowered so they could move from one ship to another in these waters. For some reason she did not trust him, of course it was in her way to not trust anybody until they have earned it.  
  
It was obvious enough that she knew the likes of Link, Cassandra, Talim and even the Four Blades ment them no harm but something about this boy that Talim had brought back made her very uneasy. Something about him was just ominously familiar, sure she had never laid eyes on him before in her life but there was something was there that she knew, she just couldn't put her finger on it. She would just have to find out later. Looking down from her perch she could see Link and Cassandra near the back of the ship talking once again, every time she looked at them she felt a little sour and she still had no clue why. She cursed herself as she moved away.  
  
Link continued speaking as Cassandra eagerly listened as he continued telling of exactly what went down on his first escapade, of course Cassandra was still trying to absorb the fact he was doing most of this at the age of eleven or twelve. He had hardly been talking more than twenty minutes and already she would have loved to see what kind of a land he was from, at least there violence came from actual monsters and people were peaceful with one another. Currently he was telling of how he first met the Princess Zelda, but this only came after he had tackled his first challenge of a very large spider, crossing an expansive field in only a few hours, dealing with a group of would be killers and meeting with two people who were currently some of his best friends.  
  
"...Needless to say that it would have been no easy task to get past the guards but luckily Malon had a lot of influence thanks to her friendship. It was next to no problem to get through. Of course had I known exactly what would be happening in the next two months because of it, I probably never would have gone. But as they say, destiny calls and the called must obey." Link said. Cassandra chuckled lightly at this "Same with Sophitia, it can all be a pain can't it?" Link nodded with a chuckled before he continued.  
  
"As it turned out she knew much more than just the identity of the one that poisoned my homes spirit, she even knew what he was after and how he planned to achieve it. A man called Gannondorf Dragmire, the leader of the desert folk in the far west planned on gaining the seven stones and breaking the seal on the sacred realm. Inside was a treasure and a potential weapon he knew would guarantee him supremacy over the rest of the world." he told. Cassandra hung on every moment of it, but a story like this wouldn't be believable unless questions could be answered.  
  
Cassandra had a few to ask "When you say stones, you mean the same as the one the Deku Tree gave you and Navi correct? And if you don't mind me asking exactly what did this princess look like?" he snickered. Link nodded his head "The seven spiritual stones each corresponded to an element of the world and if you must know take yourself or your sister and slice off about ten or twelve years." he said back with a smirk. Cassandra breathed lightly in a little bit of shock "Small world...I mean...well you know what I mean right." Link nodded before he continued.   
  
With just about every word he said she knew he was sincere, who would make up such a story and eventually she discovered Kilik and Xianghua on her sides listening as well. Kilik was probably the only one among them who could relate with all the hurtles he had to jump before the evil inside him was brought under control. Link continued for the next hours telling of his escapades of being entrusted with his first horse and his second spiritual stone, obtaining his third in a village called Kakariko, his and Garen's meeting of the Goron people. He also told of his part in a massive battle on a place called Death Mountain where he had to square off with a monster that breathed fire which earned him his forth spiritual stone.  
  
Link wanted to continue but it was difficult to continue on a dry mouth. Xianghua loved hearing about his home land and Cassandra was just hanging off his every word. Kilik's only interest of course was this weapon that Gannondorf sought that Link had censored out of several parts of his story, he figured it was his lands version of Soul Edge. He took a stopping point at where he and his partner Garen Sheikan had split up to find the last of the two stones. That name was familiar to them, Garen was the same man that had come under Soul Edge's control in Hyrule and Link had been forced to fight him. Not an easy task for any man.   
  
Xianghua and Kilik moved away to return to Maxi while Cassandra stuck with Link who walked to the edge of the ship "So when are we going to here more of this story?" she asked. Link breathed before looking at her "Next time we find ourselves in a tranquil area hopefully. I'm not to clear on what happened to Garen when he had to go into Gannondorf's territory but I know that I had to make a few hard choices to get my hands on the last gem." he said. He had promised that if they still wanted to know after this was all over he would sit down with her and tell her absolutely everything there was to tell. Cassandra of course looked forward to it.   
  
It was getting a little dark when Cassandra left going below decks and Link stayed above promising he would come later on. He cursed his luck as he watched Cassandra walk off. He always did this, getting close to those that would surely be very hurt when he was gone. It had happened too many times before, he wasn't exactly planning to let them just watch his back in a world that would never accept him. He breathed as he looked toward Cassandra wondering why he felt so much concern for her "I think somebody likes somebody." a voice said from behind him, he turned back to see Seung Mina standing there.   
  
Kyle was there as well but he was moving over to speak with Maxi and the others "Come on long ears, what is the deal with you and Cassandra?" she asked in a voice that begged the question. He looked at Seung Mina, he hadn't spoken with her much but figured she was the kind that wanted to be involved in personal dilemmas, he looked back at her before speaking "I consider her a friend, aside from Talim she is the only one who I've been able to truly get close to in this world. But it really isn't your business." he said with a breath.   
  
Seung Mina simply laughed at this before speaking "You are terrible at hiding what is crossing your mind, Link. You should take a few lessons from Kyle and a few others I could name." Link looked at Mina as she mocked him, he huffed before he stepped away obviously he didn't feel like being interrogated. Another voice spoke up from the side "If he likes Cassandra that is his business. Why are you so interested anyway?" she turned to see Yunsung leaking against the mast having come over as well.  
  
Yunsung smirked lightly having been waiting for a chance "Are you jealous or something?" Seung Mina crossed his arms with a huff before speaking back to her underling student "No. I'm just interested in what may be occurring in the community of our friends here. Forgive me for being curious." she said before she stepped back toward the bridge. She stepped lightly over it to the Nightwraith which was just on the Eternal Wind's side, leaving Yunsung with the freedom to laugh at the though of Mina chasing after Link. Although he knew that after her father had tried to marry her off twice, first to Hwang and then to that much less worthy punk from another family. It was obvious she planned to find happiness her own way, it entertained him.   
  
Kyle Strife looked at him before speaking "We'll be arriving in Venice by noon tomorrow, I suggest that you get some rest. Also I have a message from Raphael who has managed to get some information on what we are doing." Yunsung leaned back listening as Kyle spoke "Yunsung, we are going to Venice because somebody who could be very helpful to us is there. The name is familiar to me and I have reason to believe that my father might have known his, so please if we do meet him, try not to do anything stupid." he said reciting Raphael's words perfectly before he stepped across the bridge.  
  
Yunsung grumbled as he leaned back against the mast and looked around eventually spying Talim and Drake on the railings of the ship continuing to talk. Drake had been around since they left Oman and he still hardly knew anything about them he figured it was time to find out and approached them. Drake's voice could be heard "Well I don't know what it is worth three years late but thanks a lot. If it hadn't been for you who knows what might have happened." he said bringing up a piece of his past. Yunsung told himself right off that he would not demand to know exactly what he was talking about, it was between them.   
  
Talim's voice spoke up next "It is my role as a priestess Drake. I couldn't just leave you like you were, manifested with the Evil Seed unlike myself. Still from what I feel it has diminished within you in the years." Talim looked up as Yunsung approached and greeted him with a light way "The Evil Seed? What happened to you two?" he asked out of a little concern.   
  
Drake shrugged his shoulders at the question and spoke up keeping his arms crossed over his chest "Well for one it was around seven years ago. The wind village always appoints one priestess and one defender at a very young age and then starts training them. Ironically the two of us were the priestess and defender, one day in the middle of our training there was a bright light in the sky and both of us were struck by it. However unlike your friend Kilik it did not effect us as gravely. It may have been our training as well as Talim's purity." he said before he lightly chuckled brushing a strand of his hair aside "Of course leave it up to one such as myself to be effected after four years."  
  
Yunsung looked at him asking exactly what happened, Drake breathed before speaking "Well considering the time line that Sophitia has told me it would seem that the Soul Edge was defeated around the same time what was left of the Evil Seed finally manifested itself inside of me and tried to possess my soul. With what little control I had left I headed back to the Village of the Wind to try and cure myself." he looked back at the twin blades he carried "I felt that what pure properties were used in making the swords that should have gone to me would help but in the end only one of Talim's rituals truly cured me." he said.   
  
Yunsung raised an eyebrow lightly as his story seemed to piece together "Okay I can understand the whole Evil Seed but what exactly were you doing away from the village. I mean Talim hasn't seen you in the last three years right?" he asked. Drake's expression grew annoyed as this question was asked "The Evil Seed did have some sort of effect on me, it essentially got me exhiled from the Village of the Wind. After I tapped into a few other styles that were outside the Wind Dance style they considered that a very bad things." Yunsung was now a little shocked unable to believe anybody would throw one of their own out for simply wishing to be come a better warrior and protector of his home.   
  
Yunsung spoke up without fear that Talim would stand up for her people's choice "What the hell could you have looked into that was so bad they would have you thrown from the village?" Drake didn't respond, he just remained where he sat with his arms crossed as he looked back on his past.   
  
Talim instead spoke up leaning against the railing "Allow me to explain. My village has seen what kind of violence competition can bring and had many different arts forbidden. While many were tolorated the one that Drake professed and interest in was not. It was essentially the same style of martial arts used by the Fu-Ma syndicate." she explained.  
  
Drake looked up as this was said "It is true. I looked into an art that was designed to take lives, there was no room in the art for any kind of mercy to an opponent. That is what got me exiled from the village. I knew the rules and I tried to break them for the sake of supremacy, if you must know I was jealous of those who had more experiance in the wind style. I wasn't born in the village you see, I was abandoned and they took me in. There is no excuse for my selfishness in this scenario. Still I can't help but wonder, Talim how big of a deal did they make when they discovered that Northern and Southern Wind along with Aero's Gem were missing?" he asked.   
  
Talim lightly gave a smile "They spent days looking for them but seemed only concerned for the gem, which I of course found it in my heart to return to them. The swords obviously stayed with you, when they found out it was you they were far from happy. After all they belonged to the founder of the wind dance." she explained. Yunsung was getting interested and just had to ask why she let Drake keep such a weapon in his possession.   
  
"The world was a pretty dangerous place for one as young as ourselves back then, considering he had been training with those blades last it only seemed right he should have them. Aside from that I figured it was enough of a lesson to the village seeing as how they didn't listen to any reasons he could have made." Talim explained.   
  
Drake smiled lightly as he looked at his long time friend "I didn't know you were so supportive of me Talim, but then again you were always the sweet one." he said, Talim lightly blushed as Drake said this.   
  
Yunsung breathed as he decided he would leave them alone to catch up but had one more question "The Fu-Ma...how would you have ever learned of their style. They are very secretive after all and nobody learns such things unless they are actually in the syndicate." he said having heard this little history lesson form Mina after Taki and Mitsurugi joined the White Wind.   
  
Talim thought about what Drake had told her earlier "Well the village had them under lock and chain but that only seemed to interest us more. Drake didn't do much to take control of the style, just a few of the stances that worked hand in hand with the wind dance. It is a hard style to grasp without and instructor after all. Of course not long after he left he began making a name for himself after somebody apparently went and showed him the mistakes in his grasp of the style." Drake nodded at this.   
  
Yunsung looked at him before speaking "Wait...The Fu-Ma...Taki taught you?" Drake shook his head as the huntress that they were currently allied with was brought up, while he could have guessed she was formerly of the Fu-Ma even he had heard of her. "I'm afraid not. A rouge demon hunter that had left the Fu-Ma taught me. He didn't seem to give much a reason but he burned with a hatred of their race and took the time to teach me the basics of the style. Aside from that I know nothing else, the Wind Dance is more in my blood anyway but it always helps to have a secondary style."  
  
Drake explained all of this oblivious to the fact that they were being eavesdropped upon by a certain man that felt Taki would enjoy hearing this information. Drake breathed as he stepped away "It's a practice that I've come to be content with. You cannot control what happens in the past, it is pointless to worry. Like the wind you must move forward on your own path." he said as he vanished below decks.   
  
Yunsung looked over at Talim as Drake vanished down the stairs "Man life must really enjoy kicking him around." he commented. Talim breathed as she looked down at the water "He has had a very hard life so far. First he is somehow cast from his original home, then he lands shipwrecked and his mother gets him as far as the village before she dies, he grows up in an unfamiliar place and is then forced to leave there into a world he doesn't understand. He probably still has no clue where he is from." she said with a showing amount of pity for the young man.   
  
Yunsung breathed as he was now feeling like a real jerk for being jealous of his and Talim's relationship "Poor guy. Well if anything he can always come with us, I'm sure Mina's father would be happy to have him around." Talim looked back at Yunsung and smiled and then giggled as she heard Yunsung's stomach groan. They then proceeded to follow Drake figuring the White Wind would have them.   
  
Sophitia breathed as she bit into a piece of bread that she had taken from one of the bowls on the table, truly Juan was a good cook with meats but baking could use some work. But she wouldn't complain, they were after all on a boat and it was likely to be difficult controlling fire while on board. She, Kilik, Xianghua, Taki, Cassandra and Link were at the table currently. Maxi had taken his food top side like he always did being that he had nothing reliable to insert upon the subject they spoke of: Soul Calibur.   
  
Truly after Nightmare had given them a piece of it they were all very curious as to what the blade really was, they knew that it was the blade that countered Soul Edge and vice versa but they still had no idea who made it or where it came from. Cassandra looked back lightly as Drake returned to the room he and Maxi were sharing, although Maxi usually wasn't around and Drake half the time vanished onto the deck at night. Talim and Yunsung followed and joined them "Hi." Yunsung breathed as he took a piece of bread.  
  
Taki rolled her eyes as they continued to exchange their own ideas on the relationship between Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. She really didn't care, all she did know was that one was good and the other was evil. One needed to be restored and the other needed to be destroyed, she didn't want to get too far into this philosophy of theirs. As she thought this over and the others departed from the table save for Sophitia and Cassandra somebody stepped up behind her, she looked back to see Mitsurugi who knelt down lightly to whisper something to her. One of Taki's eye brows raised in interest before her eyes moved over to gaze at Drake who stood in the corner looking out one of the port holes.   
  
Mitsurugi stood back up as he told her everything he had witnessed topside, technically it was only the little piece of information that delved into Drake's self-taught secondary style. Taki's eyes narrowed as Drake who was completely turned away, she was going to be confronting him on this. Unlike the others Taki had enough trust in Mitsurugi to reveal a little of her past and had requested that Mitsurugi be on the look out for her partner in the only real relationship she had ever had. "What are you going to do?" he asked. Taki breathed before speaking "Ask a few questions." she said. Though for this she would have to wait until the evening to set in more.  
  
Within a few hours it was night and both ships found themselves drifting, Yunsung had returned to the Nightwraith before both of them dropped anchor and let themselves float. Sophitia and Cassandra had retired for the night, Kilik and Xianghua had done the same. Talim had returned to her own private room while Maxi had actually come down and gone to sleep. The only person that had said they would be up late was Link who sat over a small housed fire sharpening the tips of his arrows, he also had the pieces of the shattered Athenian blade laid out. Otherwise things were silent, and he really didn't care that he knew that at least two of their members were not asleep.   
  
Up on the deck the half moon shown out behind the clouds of the night lighting up the ocean, from the side of the ship one could just see the sillouette of the Nightwraith. Not like anything but the slight passing of the wind ment anything to Drake as he took stance in the center of the deck. It was so hard to practice effectively with this group of misfits all around him, aside from that the night was just so much more inviting to him. It seemed appropriate as with every second present he was living a lie, a lie to them and to Talim and it filled him with a self hatred.  
  
His hands clinched around his two swords before both of them were drawn out and dropped into the basic stance of the Wind Dance style. Angrily he swiped the Northern Wind through the air before coming up with the Southern Wind grasped in his left hand. Both cut cleanly through the air in the same pattern before he came whipping around one blade to his left and then came up with the second in and uppercut maneuver before bringing the blade down as if to stab an imaginary opponent in the shoulder before coming across the head area with his other blade to end his life.   
  
He took stance again sheathing the Southern Wind behind his waist before he cut three times with the Northern Wind before jumping back and then jumping forward on his side. The other blade appeared again as both flowed out coming down toward the ground before he landed on his feet. Snapping back up he back flipped one leg outstretched, such a position would send his foot into an opponent's jaw should he or she actually have lived through both sword swipes. He landed on his feet but jumped back again, in mid flip the Southern Wind was once again returned to its sheath before his left hand boosted him back up.   
  
His feet smashed against the deck as the Northern Wind was swiped hard kicking up a little wind, the imaginary image of an opponent's chest being cleaved open filled his mind as he lowered his blade returning it to the sheath behind his shoulder. His arms lowered from stance as he felt the wind blow, sure it had taken him a good amount of time but he had perfectly molded the arts of the Fu-Ma to those of the Wind Dance in what he enjoyed calling the Wind Blade style. He breathed as he prepared himself to go again but paused as his eyes moved toward the mast, he reached back taking grip on the Northern Wind while his other hand gripped the Southern Wind.   
  
There was then a dart of movement above and Drake dropped his hands before going into a pushed back flip that lasted over the course of twenty feet, his feet touched down on the deck as a shadow jumped out at him. Quick as lighting the Northern Wind flashed from its sheath as there was the sound of another blade though from sound it was clearly slimmer in make. He jumped back before striking with the blade, he growled as it was blocked perfectly and one came at him. He grunted as he twisted to the side and felt his hair cut by the blade, he looked back as he pushed away and just had enough time to catch a female silhouette attacking him.   
  
Fear that he had been found out came to him as he quickly realized it was that huntress Taki Moyika. Dropping all he knew of the Fu-Ma style he drew his other blade snapping into the wind villages most well known stance. He jumped forward dropping both blades down, one after another in an X-shape. The attacker's blade shot forward to deflect his attack and swipped back at him but he knew the basics of the style and wouldn't be taken down so easily, Taki quickly discovered this as he through a kick to her ribs pushing her back. She growled [Okay, you wanna play tough fine by me, amateur.] she thought as she moved forward to attack.   
  
Her blade swiped at the young warrior of the wind who easily managed to maneuver around them as he took into account his knowledge of the Fu-Ma style. She however knew better as she drew out both her sword swipping both up and down, another piece of the basic style. Her interest however was peaked as he instinctively stepped back having not expected it, she followed up by striking again swinging both swords which he deflected but it was not a part of the Fu-Ma style.   
  
Taki breathed as she was forcing herself to use what she had been taught by Toki and not what she had taught herself but it was clear to see that all he knew were the very basics, more to defend him against attacks from the Fu-Ma. Considering he had been struck by the Evil Seed she could see why there would be the danger of the Fu-Ma hunting him. Both because of Toki's obsession with Soul Edge and because of the fact most of those struck become creatures that are more powerful than most Earth based demons. But who would have done something like teaching a child the basics of the style.  
  
Drake moved forward as she went back to one sword and swung at him but he reached forward catching her wrist, he reached up and the flat end of his blade went against the back of her neck. He then pulled back and rolled throwing her behind him. She growled as she hit the deck on her knees and he back flipped twisting as he did so and then rushed at her one sword held down. Taki jumped to her feet and then kicked up off the ground ending up behind him, she reached up concentrating her energy before she slammed her palm into his chest. This was one of the higher level attacks after the assassin was taught the arts of inner energy manipulation.   
  
Drake was hit full force by it and smashed into the wall of the ship, he looked up as Taki moved forward at him [Curse my luck.] he growled as he moved to the side and then shot up at her swinging his blade hard at her head. Taki moved to the left just getting around his attack but was shocked as he jumped up spinning with both blades [How far has he adapted the Fu-Ma style to his own?] he mind questioned as his back was turned and she took her chance. She mock swung at his chest but halted and kicked his leg out from under him.   
  
Drake stumbled for a moment as Taki's hand grabbed his shoulder spinning him hard around, his back was facing her. He loosed his grip and the blades rotated to be held blade down as if he intended to impale her in the side but he was too slow. Taki's arm went around his neck and his arms instinctively shot up, her other arm came around pinning his arm while the other dropped to push into his back pressure pointing him painfully. Taki looked at him "Surrender, young one." she told him. He released his grip on his swords and they dropped to the ground and he breathed waiting for her to just end his life.   
  
It never happened however instead she lowered her free hand and brought her arm off of him, he growled as he jumped forward grabbing his blade off the deck and unsheathing his other. He turned to face her holding his blades both point down clearly focused, she crossed her arms "Calm down Drake. I was testing to see exactly how extensive your knowledge of my style was, as you may know nobody outside the syndicate is to know them. I doubt somebody raised in the same place as Talim would ever join them." she said.   
  
Drake growled "Damn it Yunsung." he cursed. Taki's expression remained the same "I have my own sources, I don't have to leech off of those who can't remain silent. Especially not one such as him." she told him as he slowly lowered his weapons.   
  
He looked at her after he placed his two beloved swords away feeling his security restored "Alright then Demon Huntress, what is it that you want of me?" he asked, his voice somewhat annoyed after being blatantly attacked by somebody he considered an ally.   
  
She closed her eyes as for the first time in a number of months she had to get herself prepared for any reply that could come her way "I want to know exactly who taught you. I want to know who he or she is and what reasons they had to teach you such things." she said in a tone that demanded to be taken seriously.   
  
Drake breathed as she recollected what he could "The man who taught me was a Fu-Ma assassin who had apparently been cast from the syndicate and was being hunted. After the Fu-Ma made an attempt on my life he just happened to be there to save it. He had taught others of what he was willing to, I guess after his friends wanted him dead he was wanting to destroy the secrecy of the Fu-Ma syndicate." he explained to her.  
  
Taki shrugged her shoulders explaining that she would have done the same but then there was the fact that she was no teacher. He continued "After a few weeks he felt I knew enough to put up a half decent fight against the lower level assassins, then he just vanished. As predicted they did come after me with the intent of ending my life but stopped around a year ago. I decided to mix it up with the Wind Dance style to create my own. Seemed effective up until now." he said in his own way commenting her.   
  
Taki looked at him knowing it could have been anybody. Since she left anybody who tried to convince Toki to stop his pursuit of her infected sword and the Soul Edge either ended up exiled, hunted or dead. Despite the odds she still had to ask "Did your teacher have a name that he went by?" she asked.   
  
Drake thought back on this but ended up shaking his head "He was very secrative and stuck to the name he had been assigned. It was easy to tell that he was a master of the style probably aged enough to be your master, I believe he called himself Byakko." Taki felt her lungs exhale as it truly was not her former partner in more than just hunting.   
  
Byakko was the second finest master of the Fu-Ma art next to Toki. While Toki might have been her teacher and master Byakko-sama was the closest thing she had ever had to a father. It was the same for her partner, whom she decided she just had to inquire about. Taki looked at Drake with a look of heavy concern in her eyes, a look few had ever seen before "Did Byakko, ever mention another member of the clan by the name of Yugo?" she asked.   
  
Drake raised a hand to his chin and closed his eyes as he thought on that name which he had heard a number of times from his teacher "I believe that was the one that Byakko was looking for. Apparently he had just vanished without so much of a trace, even moreso than yourself and Byakko was seeking him while at the same time running from the Fu-Ma." he explained.  
  
Taki's heart just plain sank as she heard this. Even more questions that had no clear answers were being weighed down upon her heart. Every time she would be confronted by an assassin of the Fu-Ma coming for her blade she would not be ready to kill. She lightly cursed the others of the group who had dared to remind her of her own past love life back in Oman.   
  
Drake snapped his fingers in front of Taki's face which brought her back to reality, she expected riticul but the young man just sighed "Life can be cruel when it splits us from those we want near us. If your looking I wish you luck finding them. I doubt Byakko would hide." he said.   
  
Taki let this absorb and she bowed to Drake something she rarely did to anybody, he did the same back and she turned wordlessly to return to the ship. He stretched as he sat on the side of the ship "Yugo, huh...what a small plane this world is becoming." he breathed out as he looked at the moon.  
  
Next Chapter: undecided  
  
The two ships finally arrive in Venice and at once head to the Defender's base of operations, but as they arrive they discover that after a few threats people without authorization will not be allowed in. When Sophitia doesn't accept the fact she has been denied entry Link finds himself asking one question: Why do I have to attack everywhere I want to go.   
  
OOC: I will begin working on a profile for Yugo when I find some time. Anybody who wants a little teaser profile go to the third page of the profiles section. 


	31. Breaking and Entering

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: I revised the very end of this chapter. I felt it was getting a little repeditive.  
  
PROFILES: Dark Link's Profile Added, Drake's Background Added (See author's profile for the link)  
  
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Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty: Breaking And Entering  
  
A refreshing breeze blew over the deck of the Eternal Wind as the late morning sun shone over the deck giving the world the light of another day to the exited travelers. With their destination now in sight everybody was ready to step off after two long weeks of travel, several of them planned on finding the Defenders Headquarters. They were the original Black Wind before Nightmare took the name for his own group of brigands as it became known to the world that he was, or once was Siegfried Schtaffen.   
  
With this realization the members of the original group devoted whole heartedly to the destruction of the sword renamed themselves the defenders and moved their operations to Venice. Sophitia had filled the group in on everything she knew, the Venice faction was the leading group to the other countries of Europe. That the Defenders had originally been lead by Siegfried Schtaffen himself, considering that Mitsurugi had dragged him to Venice it was more than likely they would know what had become of him. That was her theory but upon arriving they discovered navigating the city would be harder than they thought.   
  
It was clearly more of a metropolis than a common city. People crowded the streets and bridges that crisscrossed over the rivers where several boats moved from point to point. It was clearly one of the busiest cities that any of them had ever seen, at least that was as far as Link saw. Venders shouted at people along the docks as they approached and others were fishing trying to get what they could from the shore sides, clearly everybody had to do something to make their way through in life.   
  
Looking around the ship it seemed everybody was ready to hit the city as soon as they landed, he was beginning to see just how important this Siegfried person must have been to them. Sophitia stood next to Mitsurugi who was now wearing a combo of black and white pants with a fire pattern and a middle open shirt, he must have figured the armor was too much trouble. Taki was also standing there but she had been a little more distant the last two days, she was now wearing a small cut green kimono over what appeared to be more of that skin tight black material, she also wore some armor on her shoulders and shins.   
  
Talim and her friend whom for some odd reason was the only one to not question him on his ears were across from them. Talim leaned against the railing and Drake was sitting crossed legged on the deck of the ship next to her apartently about to die from the wait. Cassandra was standing near the door now wearing the same outfit she had worn when they met in Athens, that blue and white skirt and shirt piece, he averted his eyes before she could catch his glance. Maxi and Xianghua were near the back of the ship behind the wheel, they slowly neared the crowded docks and Link shaped up ready to do his job.   
  
"Look alive people! Docking in this place is gonna be tricky!" Maxi shouted from his place at the wheel. Link looked back before he remembered where he was, standing on one side of the ship opposite from Kilik who was on the other. Both of them were holding one of the anchoring ropes and were ready to stop the ship. The Nightwraith and her crew had already landed and were waiting on them, slowly they pulled into the narrow docking and both Link and Kilik jumped from the boats and dropped the loops of their individual ropes over the large wooden stakes that would secure them.   
  
The ropes tightened and the Eternal Wind came to a stop. Almost at once Mitsurugi slowly lowered the boarding ramp and the members of the White Wind began to step down the plank to join with Kilik and Link who stood there. Sophitia was stepping the lead and seemed to be forcing herself with each step "What are we going to do now?" Kilik questioned the Athenian. She breathed before she spoke "We find the Defender's headquarters and find out where Siegfried is, and then we find Siegfried and hopefully more of what Nightmare is doing with be revealed." she announced.   
  
Link looked over as he heard footsteps and saw the four seekers from the Nightwraith walking toward them. Kyle was wearing only black pants and his shirt, he had his jacket over his shoulder lighting covering his sword, the rest of them seemed just as ready. Sophitia breathed as she looked at Kyle "So your going to?" she asked. He nodded simply not saying a word, Mina decided to cover for her ever serious team mate "We feel that learning anything we can about the Soul Edge might be beneficial to our search. After all it is all still fair game." Sophitia nodded in agreement.   
  
Cassandra lightly looked around as she noticed that a few people were missing from their group "Hey where is Jack and Naoyuki?" she questioned suspiciously. Yunsung spoke up as he adjusted his sword on his belt explaining that Jack wasn't interested and Naoyuki was going to watch the ship.   
  
Kilik noticed a few were missing from their group as well, Maxi wanted to stay with his boat as long as nothing truly involved him, the same went for Stephan and Michael who apparently had territorial grudges against Venice. But the Wind priestess and her friend were not there either, he decided not to both with it as they began walking. Himself, Xianghua, Sophitia, Cassandra and Link all began moving but the Four Blades along with Taki and Mitsurugi stood their group. "Do any of you even know where to go?" Taki questioned crossing her arms.   
  
Sophitia thought and then let out a sigh as Kyle and Mina joined them followed by Yunsung who looked back at Raphael who seemed to be stepping back toward the Nightwraith "Hey I thought you were coming!" he shouted. Raphael looked back and gave a wave "I'm not needed." he said before stepping on board the ship. Raphael didn't want to admit it to any of them but he was truly beginning to consider completely dropping the hunt for Soul Edge and just heading back to France. He didn't know how much longer he could be away from Amy, he didn't trust his luck to hold out this long.   
  
Soon all of them were gathered in a circle probably not looking like the most normal group of characters to ever set foot in Venice. Taki spoke up with a breath "Alright, Drake said that the headquarters is a large fortress near the center of the city. It would make sense as the heads of the group are all there." she explained. Sophitia nodded as she looked out over the city from the docks able to see a pretty tall tower which looked like it was fortified.   
  
"Hold on, when did Drake tell you this?" Yunsung suddenly blurted out not exactly expecting Taki and Drake of all people to discuss anything. Taki smiled as she turned speaking "Well apparently the reason he isn't going is because last time he was in this city he was arrested by the Defenders, at least that is his excuse." Yunsung lightly huffed not knowing weather or not to buy it. His opinion wouldn't have been worth much as before he could voice it they were already moving North.   
  
Drake watched as the group of ten people, seven being their own moved off down the wood and stone roads on Venice. He breathed as he leaned back against the side of the ship "Why didn't you want us to go with them?" Talim's voice suddenly asked him, he looked up lightly to see her standing there. She rolled his eyes before he spoke "I had a pretty bad experiance with the people of the Defenders last time I visited this city, aside from that the immorality and disrespect of this place is sickening. I'm saving you a lot of concern." he said sounding a little colder than usual.   
  
Talim sighed as he continued to show that not much had changed about him in the last few years, she shrugged before she sat down beside him. He lightly shifted as her shoulder pressed against his "So what exactly happened, Drake?" she asked. Drake breathed as he thought it over in his mind, he wasn't searching for the truth. He was trying to remember what he told Taki hoping it would deceive Talim for the moment, she would find out the truth sooner or later and it was going to hurt both of them when she did.   
  
He breathed before he spoke "Well as you know the only true way I've been able to make money these days is to track down those infected by the Soul Edge's energies and put them out of their misery." Talim nodded grimly wishing she was powerful enough to do it without killing them but many under its control were beyond saving. "Well I tracked one to this city where we fought, I managed to take him down and get the shard. However the Defenders who are of course dedicated to destroying it found me and threw me in prison thinking I had been infected." he chuckled.   
  
Talim nodded, it was pretty much impossible for the blade to control Drake after Talim had saved his soul from the Evil Seed. "Anyway I managed to buy my time and then break out, however I had to hurt a lot of people to do it. I think showing up there again would be a very big mistake." Talim nodded her head before she leaned her head on his shoulder. He just sat there lightly breathing, not because of the narrow distance he and Talim were sharing but because of the fact it was a sickening lie and it was being given to her. Could he tell her that they knew that he was a member of the Black Wind and would probably label all of them the same.   
  
"You do that everywhere." Talim suddenly dryly. Drake looked to her with concern, had she caught him, would they had to fight? His mind screamed these questions at him as he himself spoke "What do you mean?" he asked. Talim smiled lightly closing her eyes "You always get yourself into fights. It's plauged you since you were a child." she told him with the sweetest voice. Drake chuckled before laughing and Talim joined in.   
  
Maxi lightly smiled as he took a drink out of a canteen "Kids." he murmured under his breath as she continued to look out at the other ships. Despite the amount of joy the two might have been broadcasting, half of it was all a lie. Drake felt that every action he did was impure and no more pure than the sword he had originally set out to retrieve. He was accomplishing his self-assigned mission to near perfection, they all trusted him and believed that he was truly on their side. He had even fooled Talim, and she was far from naive. But truly the more she believed him, the more he wanted the spirit this country worshiped to just strike him down.   
  
Link breathed as he blew a lock of hair from his vision, once again he had doned his cape and hood and was walking with this group of misfits he called his allies. The Alexandra sisters walked along side him along with Yunsung seemed to be thinking about something, he would put money that it was Talim. Kilik and Xianghua had their hands and fingers intertwined with one another as they walked.  
  
Cassandra looked over to Link as he walked able to catch the look of annoyance on his face "I'm really sorry that you have to go everywhere like this, we just feel better that you don't cause any...outburst from people." Link looked up lightly and smiled at Cassandra as they unknowingly fell back from the group. "Don't worry about it. I never blame anybody. I've reacted like a born fool several times in the presence of things I don't understand." Cassandra smiled as she moved over to Link pulling him to catch up with the group.   
  
They came to a stop in the middle of a side street as Xianghua refused to continue moving, she closed her eyes as she began to try and track whatever she was feeling. Xianghua spoke as several of them gave her room "Soul Calibur...I feel another part of it calling to me." she breathed out. Kyle and Mina looked at one another and moved to Sophitia explaining that they would meet them at the fortress, with this said the two of them followed by Yunsung moved off down the street toward the target.  
  
Sophitia just nodded without even giving the three members of the Four Blades a glance, she was more concerned with Xianghua and the Soul Calibur. Xianghua breathed as she held up her hands concentrating, she soon looked up to see a concerned Sophitia and Kilik. She spoke slowly her voice shaking lightly "Its...its in the tower of the Defender's fortress. There is a very strong presence near it, I don't think we should judge the Defender's lightly." she explained. Kilik helped Xianghua regain her balance as they noticed that a good number of people were starring right at them.  
  
Mitsurugi narrowed his eyes at a select group that was talking among themselves and drew out Shishi-Oh, the blade producing the threatening volume of the sword leaving its sheath. The gawkers slipped away almost at once and Xianghua slowly regained herself and took a breath as she rested one arm over Kilik's shoulders "Can you walk?" he asked with concern he often kept in check out of respect. She nodded as she looked up toward the north "Its not far now. I don't want to sound cold but even if Seigfried is not around at least they have a shard for us." Sophitia nodded slowly not liking the doubt but still it was a luck break.  
  
Kilik and Xianghua both took a seat on some stairs that lead up into a shop, Mitsurugi began discussing with Taki exactly what they would do if Siegfried truly was still alive. There were several possibilities that had to be taken into account but from how they spoke it seemed that neither of them planned to harm Siegfried unless the Soul Edge still had some sort of a hold on him. Link and Cassandra meanwhile found themselves offsides trying to ask directions from the group that had been listening in but they ended up eavesdropping on them.   
  
The youngest of the group spoke up with a news given tone "It isn't enough that the defenders are mobilizing for a strategic assault against the Black Wind but more and more weird people have began showing up all around here." he said. Another with raven hair spoke "I know. Damn it just the other day I heard some trader from the Southeast babbling about seeing some sort of a dragon that breathed fire and some rider cloaked in black." the other told them flat out that the sun got to him. The dark haired guy however insisted that it burned a town to ashes just outside of Europe.  
  
While Cassandra proceeded forth to get some directions Link found himself standing there, dragons did not exist in this world to his knowledge. He quickly shook it off as the only dragon that he knew of that could possibly come from Hyrule was still very much dormant and would not be getting up anytime soon. The subterranean lava dragon, Volvagia. The ancient tyrant of Hyrule's dragon population which he had been forced to put away in his first journey through the land of Hyrule. Cassandra managed to get some answers after they realized she was with Mitsurugi and the others and they were on their way.   
  
It didn't take long for them to finally come across the Defender's stronghold, a large fortress built near the center of Venice from there it was likely one could see the entire city. It was at least five floors tall and was very imposing, going around the fortress complete would probably be a collectively over two miles. Surrounded by a man made moat one had to cross a bridge to get to the main entrance which appeared to be a pair of large oak doors. However as they approached the entrance to the castle they noticed that the trio from Korea were waiting on something.   
  
The guards stood there each of them holding a quality double edged sword with a dagger at their sides, they also wore armor clear evidence that uninvited visitors would have a hard time forcing their way in. Sophitia stepped ahead of Kilik and Xianghua moving up to Mina who stood there with her arms crossed, the guards looked at them showing a great deal of devotion to their duties "What is going on? Why are you waiting?" she asked. Mina looked up towards the highest tower before speaking "Seems that all those the Defenders are unfamiliar with have to have entrance cleared with the commander, apparently he is very cautious."  
  
Mitsurugi lightly huffed before speaking "The way things are going he sounds like a pretty smart man. How are intruders dealt with I'd like to know?" Kyle looked up to the samurai, his hand tracing along the hilt of the Oblivion "Apparently intruders are not worth the dungeon. Kill on sight apparently, they pretty much told us that when we got near the gate." he explained. Taki lightly growled not liking their sudden decrease in chances as far as getting in without incident went, she loosened up ready to do what she had to do.   
  
Yunsung looked up as Link approached him, he still didn't know what to make of Link but had come to respect him. Of course had he known that Link had taken on Nightmare he'd probably be jumping him for details. "What are we waiting for?" he asked. Yunsung looked toward the guards "We told one of them that we are seekers of the Soul Edge, that we were also allied with the White Wind. We're hoping that is enough." as if on cue a third guard appeared and appeared to be a little out of breath.  
  
He stood up straight and spoke up "Captain Chambers insists that nobody should be admitted until further notice. The Commander seems pretty absorbed with tonight's operation anyway." the name of the captain brought back memories. The woman that had been leading the Defenders in Istanbul was named Katherine Chambers, she must have been promoted to the Venice branch, surely she would understand! Sophitia spoke up "Wait you must tell Katherine Chambers that the Four Blades are with Sophitia Alexandria, she knows me and will let me pass." she said.   
  
One of the guards forcefully pushed Sophitia back and placed his hand on his sword "The answer is no! You'd better leave before you cause more trouble than your worth." Cassandra growled as she helped her sister up "Fine but you'd better apologize." she demanded out of respect for her family. The guards huffed and drew their swords refusing and stepped forward threatening them, there were two flashes of metal as Xianghua and Yunsung both moved forward striking the swords from their hands.   
  
The third turned toward the wide open doors only to spy Link standing there, he went for his sword but Link reached his first and in a flash of sapphire blue his blade was left with only a hilt, the broken tip glowing with a strange energy left by the other blade. Link then brought back his sword and punched the hilt into the man's face knocking him down, this was right before Sophitia sent one foot into one of the guard's chest sending him off the bridge. Taki took the last one down with a well placed knee to the stomach that incapacitated him with high efficiency.   
  
Sophitia stepped forward as the first one attempted to move away but before he could she stepped up and grabbed him by his windpipe slamming his back into the door. He choked as he spoke "Please understand...we don't have time..." Sophitia gripped his throat. Cassandra stood back from her sister able to clearly see that she was sick of these delays, as Sophitia told her she owed a lot to Siegfried and would not take being bared from him so easily. However this filled her with worry, if this man she had traveled with was alive, and considering her depression after her battle with him as Nightmare...what did that mean for her sister and Rothion?   
  
Cassandra cast these thoughts away giving herself a hard mental kick as Sophitia continued to make demands "You will come with us and you will have Katherine Chambers summoned, she knows me and her people owe us a favor." Taki nodded her head as Sophitia said this able to see the raw anger boiling in Sophitia's blood and body. Without another word she forced the guard through the large wooden doors and the others followed, Mitsurugi took the time to kick the remaining weapons into the water and followed them.   
  
Next Chapter: Agony of the Betrayed  
  
Sophitia finally meets with Katherine Chambers once again and they discuse the current events revolving around the Soul Edge. Drake contemplates his deception. Eventually they are cleared for a meeting with the mysterious Commander of the Defenders who brought them back to power in recent years. But more important than all of that, what is this new presence that has appeared and blatantly attacked the Eternal Wind?! 


	32. Agony of the Betrayed

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay due to several e-mails and reviews I will say that I am not entirely sure if I will place Taki with anybody in this fiction. It is unknown if I will even involve her partner from a decade ago she apparently fell into a relationship with prior to the destruction of Soul Blade. But if anybody cares there is some information in this chapter.   
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-One: Agony of the Betrayed  
  
Sophitia's heel lightly came down onto the floor as she came to a halt in the middle of the large main hall, her eyes acted on their own going through a well practiced scan of the room. Cassandra and Xianghua both moved to the doors eager to close the most likely point on entry. As the young warrior from the east closed the doors, the second of the Alexandria sisters lowered the heavy wooden beam sealing the door from conventional entry. Kyle meanwhile moved across the hall to a door that lead into the other courtyard and closed the dead bolt on it, preventing entry from the training yard.  
  
Taki stepped forward holding the captured guard by the back of his armor, she spoke lightly but in the hissed voice of a snake on its last ounce of patience "Call Katherine Chambers here at once. We have little time as it is." she said. The young guard who probably wasn't any older than seventeen nodded his head before she turned him loose "You don't have to lead me along. I'll go and find her please stay here and do not cause any trouble if any of the others come upon you." he said before he began to move away.   
  
"Hold it." a voice spoke up, the young man looked back as Xianghua stepped forward to join him "As a representative of China, it would probably be best if I spoke with Captain Chambers first. That way she would no we are not here to cause trouble." the young man nodded before he continued walking. He was without a weapon and seemed pretty calm at this point she doubted he would turn on them at this point, turning to give a slight nod to Kilik she followed the young man up the stairs that lead up then curved at a window that over looked the training yard before going up.   
  
Most of the group separated and took their placed among the main hall. Taki stayed where she was at the stairs one hand resting on Rekki-Maru as always while the other gripped the handrail. Mitsurugi idly leaned against the door lowering his eyes to the floor deciding to catch a little rest while they waiting. Yunsung joined Link and Cassandra who began discussing how they thought it would go, Yunsung growled for a second. "Whats wrong?" Cassandra asked him. Yunsung looked around "I'm catching a lot of negative energy." he said.   
  
Cassandra looked up as Sophitia approached them alongside Kilik who held his staff "We feel the same but it is different, it isn't the same as a piece of the Soul Edge or Blade. This energy is something that is just as otherworldly but it seems to have a lot of emotion wrapped around it." Kilik pointed out. Link may have been able to feel power in the air but only when it was being displayed withheld it was like looking for a corn kernel in a field of wheat. But to Kilik the emotions of hatred and depression could easily be felt over the air.  
  
[How could everything have gone so fucking wrong?!] this was probably all he could think at this point, even after a month of searching he was still gaining no progress in his seemingly impossible search for the blade called Soul Edge. He had heard that the last holding of the blade was in Venice somewhere but in the end it turned out that there was none of the sword's energy in the area. It was obvious that wherever this man he had targeted was he was no longer with the Soul Edge and had nothing of it, not even a sliver.   
  
[If I would have known that it would have been this fucking hard I would have told that prick Malbolgeia to stay where he was and stick it.] but if he ever wanted to return to his world he was going to have to carry out the orders of the maniacal demon and find the demonic blade called Soul Edge. It wasn't like it would have been a smart idea to turn down a big shot in Hell after being sent there yourself, especially when he was offering you a second chance at life. If he should be able to retrieve it he could return to the portal, return to Malbolgeia and be given back his life.   
  
[Then I'll be able to see Wanda again.] he breathed mentally as he looked toward the fortress called the Defender's Keep. While he could still feel no shards of his target he felt a pulling toward the place from his clinched fist. He opened it to find the only shard he was in possession of the be rumbling violently as if it was pissed at something or someone. The creature showed a great deal of hesitation in following the shards wishes before he jumped off the roof of a church looking back with a slight sneer at the stone cross.   
  
In mid leap however he suddenly felt it, a concentration of the Soul Edge's energy emanating from the other side of the city. His heavy feet came down on one roof as he turned to look toward the sea spying a large amount of ships pulled into a harbor. The signal was weak. As if something was trying to keep its energy from seeping out but finally the energy of the Soul Edge had broken through and was calling to those wishing to possess it. He changed his destination mentally telling his shard to silence itself as he headed toward the harbor. Sure the Soul Edge was known for its ability to manipulate its users, only problem was the sword couldn't take control of him as he had long been damned.   
  
Katherine Chambers looked down at the other warriors recognizing several of them from the battle of Istanbul where they were forced to fight off the Black Wind's forces. Her fiery red hair lightly fell over her shoulders and she noticed a lightly shocked stare from one of the warriors that wore a cloak, but paid it no mind as she stepped down the stairs toward Sophitia followed by Xianghua and the front gate's guard who seemed to still have a nostalgic expression on his face as the two women met. Xianghua rejoined them and they began to speak.   
  
Link's ears perked up as he noticed Chambers hail Mitsurugi over from across the room, it was beginning to get common as he kept seeing such resemblance in so many people. This woman whom he had failed to meet in Istanbul was the striking image of Malon, his best friend's lover and his long time friend. This was of course less shocking than the similarities between Sophitia and Princess Zelda and then there was Talim's friend and Seth, another Sheikah warrior. He continued to listen murmuring to Cassandra what they were saying.   
  
Chamber's faced Mitsurugi as he nodded his head in a greeting, she did the same before she spoke "I was wondering when you would come back to check on your investment." she said obviously referring to the wounded Siegfried he had carried to Venice.   
  
He nodded his head "We have also come for the blade that rested in his chest, is it still around?" he asked. Chambers seemed to look away as this was mentioned immediately giving away that they did indeed know where both of them were located.   
  
Sophitia spoke next clearly impatient "We also must see Siegfried. He might be the only one that will know how to destroy the Soul Edge, we thought we had a plan but it failed. It seems what the Soul Edge has lost in power it has gained in wisdom." she admited bitterly hating to admit failure on her part. She composed herself before taking back that military attitude of hers and looking to Sophitia  
  
Katherine looked at Sophitia with wide eyes "You actually managed to attack the Soul Edg. How did you survive? Or how did they get away?" she asked. She crossed her arms as she asked, it was very difficult to track the Black Wind much less get into a fight with them.   
  
Sophitia breathed as she straightened her sword at her waist "They have powerful allies now brought from another realm by their sorcerous. In the time it would take you to draw your sword they were gone from view completely." she then gave a brief telling on Anubis and his power which Katherine absorbed like a sponge.  
  
Kilik took a breath before he spoke "While it seems that any blade can separate the Soul Edge it takes a blade with a great amount of power to truly destroy it. But it is our theory that to do that we may need the blade than Xianghua used, the Soul Calibur. That is why we need the shard." he told.   
  
Katherine stood there against the wall as she let all of this flow over her, obviously they were more likely to get to the Black Wind before them they were used to the chase "Alright. I'll see if I can get you a meeting with the Commander. If anybody he should know the locations of your friend and the shard of Soul Calibur." she said before she started up the stairs.   
  
"Wait." Sophitia called out causing Chambers to jerk around to face her "Who exactly is the Commander? I never heard of your people ever having a specific leader not even to a specific division." Sophitia knew that if you traced back that Siegfried was the original leader of the Black Wind before it called itself the Defenders, would they put who was more than likely on his back into control?  
  
Katherine looked at Sophitia locking eyes with her before she spoke out to her "I know what your thinking Sophitia and to be honest I do not know. I never met your friend and the Commander took charge six months ago. He has never used his name or referred to any aspect of his past, we as a beacon of hope try to not dwell on such trivial things." she said before she started back up the stairs. Hesitantly everybody began to follow her their curiosity peaked.  
  
He couldn't take it anymore. Drake found himself at his wits end as he continued to contemplate when to make his move and just make off with what they had of the Soul Edge. It would have been simple enough to just ask any of the White Wind where they were kept, or better yet have that arrogant Korean do it for him. The darkest part of his soul kept insisting that he urge Talim to find out for him, they would never find distrust in her. It was impossible to locate. It was his best bet...  
  
[NO!] His mind screamed as his hands slapped into his temples and his nails dug into his scalp [I will not stoop so low as to take advantage of these people. Its bad enough that Talim trusts me when I could turn at any point. I....will not make a fool of her. I owe her more than that.] his mind argued with itself. He was supposed to have a shard a week ago, more than likely Diablos was combing over the Oman area screaming and cursing for him to reveal himself. He couldn't just run away, Nightmare and Ivy knew his weakness and he knew exactly what they would do just to spite him should he go back on his word.   
  
[Curse them! Curse this nonsense called honor! All its done is screw me over!] his mind raged and screamed out how his life had turned out. He breathed as he leaned back unable to think of how long he'd be able to keep from coming clean, before that innocent, ever trusting stare from Talim's eye bore a hole through his defenses. He looked up as the wind blew through his hair causing a few strands to fall before his vision, it was a clear indication that he was blind of where he wanted to go. It was only a matter of time before the others would see right through him.   
  
"Drake." an ever trusting voice asked him from behind, he turned to see Talim standing there looking at him with those ever so beautiful eyes of hers. He spoke lowly to her almost as if pushing the possibility that something was wrong "Yes Talim?" he mentally kicked himself several times as her expression became even more concerned. She stepped closer as he sat on the railing of the ship "Is something wrong?" she asked. It was a question that could be seen coming from a mile away, he breathed as he looked up at her unsure to confess or lie. Both were hard choices.   
  
He suddenly noticed a shadow come over Talim as he heard a sound of weight on the mast, he glanced up and gasped before he moved forward essentially tackling Talim off her feet. She didn't know what to think as Drake grabbed her around her waist and pulled her away from where she was standing, it didn't take her long to figure out that this wasn't just him being random. Her suspicions were confirmed as a rather large humanoid figure came crashing down where she had been standing just moments before making a crater in the ships wooden deck.   
  
Drake stood up at once and looked at the being that nearly crushed both of them under his heels, what he saw made him boost his cautiousness up. Whoever or whatever this thing was it was easily twice his body mass without an inch of flesh showing upon him. His body was masked completely in a black otherworldy material with some white trimming which went in a V shape up his chest. There were also chains, polished silver chains that were around his waist and neck held by what appeared to be metal charms of demon skulls. One his arms were a pair of red bracers, a pair of bands were on his legs as well which were also coated by the black material ending at his feet like a pair of boots. His face could not be seen and where his eyes should have been were only two narrowed emerald beacons.   
  
Drake growled as he looked upon this creature and then slowly took a step back as it looked up at him. It was pretty clear just by looking at this man(or what he assumed to be a man) was once human by was like so many others transformed somehow. There were so many aspects that told him that he was not of human origin, the strange costume he wore was so perfectly fitted to his flesh and it was like it hugged his body of its own accord. He could have been another victim of the evil seed or he could have come from the same origin as Astaroth, or maybe...  
  
The creature slowly stood to his feet, his intemidating form causing both the young warriors to step back, what Drake saw next told him that this monster was far worse than any of those the Soul Edge had possessed save for a few. A unusually long crimson cape hung from his shoulders, held by the chain just below his collar bone, the way it reacted to the wind and the way the light shone off of it was just too unnatural. It moved as if it was part of the wind but it was no form of silk he had ever come across, and seemed to emit and energy seprate from that of Soul Edge or anything else he had felt. Clearly this thing was from another world of some sort.  
  
Drake casted its attire, its energy and its origin from his mind as his mind became dominated by one view point: [This bastard attacked both of us and he is going down!] he placed one hand down on the Southern Wind ready to attack but the creature spoke first as he looked around the city. He speech was performed in a deep and throaty voice as if it was strained "I expect some resistance and they have brats here. What a waste of my time." he growled, clearly whoever this monster was he was annoyed about something.  
  
The creature lowered its glowing green eyes to Talim noting the blades that were attached to the sides of her waist "I'm going to make this simple." he held up one of his hands which was just as gloved as the rest of his body, in it was a single shard of the Soul Edge. Talim was shocked that she had not felt it earlier "I know that there are several of these on board this ship. Hand them over and I won't have to get rough with you two." he said as if he was far to great to waste his time fighting them.  
  
Talim swallowed lightly as the monster referred to the Soul Edge shards that they had collected, currently being kept in Sophitia's room. Apparently hidden away in a box that the energy could not escape from, she figured that the shards must have finally found their way past the Valkyrie's magic. Drake looked at Talim before they both looked back and he spoke "I would suggest that you leave at once. We have powerful allies and they will not be pleased with that blemish on the deck there." he said.  
  
"I can already say one person who isn't happy about it!" a voice rang out, the creature look to the side right in time to catch the bad end of a nunchaku to the side of his face. Maxi then let out a high shout as he kick the creature off his feet and toward the front of the deck going into stance with his weapon. Drake brought out both of his blade flipping them once in his hands before he went into stance, Talim did the same with her elbow blades and they all seemed eager to do some damage. The creature looked at them and growled under his mask "Your pissing me off. You've asked for it." he said raising a hand.   
  
As Drake suspected the cape turned out to be more than it seemed as it gathered itself up being attracted to his awaiting palm, it detached itself from the chain on his chest and moved to his hand becoming like smelted metal. It melded itself into what appeared to be a twin bladed ax that took the same design as his mask including the eyes, perhaps he was a little full of himself but it didn't really matter because if Maxi could do anything about it he wouldn't be living to see the next day.   
  
"Get ready!" he shouted before he rushed hard at the trio. All of them scattered before the ax passed over before being targeted on Maxi who moved to strike again. The creature was struck across the jaw again before it swung hard at Maxi who jumped up on the railing. The blade cut cleanly into the railing nearly decapitating the pirate's foot, he on reaction jumped up kicking the monster back and attempted to grab the ax. Upon trying to the ax turned back into the crimson material and with greased speed shot back to its master's hand retaking the form of the ax.   
  
"Agony is mine, bitch. Don't waste your time!" he said before moving toward Maxi again but suddenly there was movement as a pair of boots swung from over the deck to knock him backwards. Maxi looked up as a sword was drawn and saw the exhilarated form of Raphael Soral standing there with his rapier ready "Saw your new little friend from the Nightwraith, figured he would be letting out more than a little steam on you guys." he said as he fell back into stance.  
  
The monster climbed to his feet growling as he felt stupid for underestimating them, as he stood he looked back at Drake and Talim who now stood ready for his assault. Once again he found himself cursing the one that gave him the power he possessed, the power of a Hellspawn send to get Soul Edge. He dropped back into stance with his ax "Alright! I haven't got all day!" he growled through his mask ready for anything. Despite so many battles, each one here would determine what happened to him.  
  
Next Chapter: Hellborn and Hellbent  
  
As Talim and the others try to hold down the fort against the horribly powerful Hellspawn, Sophitia and company find themselves finally meeting with the mysterious commander of the Defenders. With a Soul Calibur shard in his possession there is something else they want of him, but how will they go about convincing him to once again challenge the Soul Edge? 


	33. Hellborn and Hellbent

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: While the announcement may disappoint many people I am not going to keep Spawn in the action for very long, but he will gain a longer lasting role in a later chapter. Trust me its worth the wait.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Two: Hellborn and Hellbent  
  
Sophitia's perfect emerald eyes scanned the halls as Katherine lead them out of the stairwell and onto the fifth floor of the fortress where the Commander's chamber was. The hallways were came of the same greyish white stone as the rest of the fortress and had several portraits hung mostly of the group's founders and some of the great leaders that had somehow been involved in the formation of the Defenders. Everybody followed the elder of the Alexandra sisters as they came to a pair of large wooden doors that lead into what could have been called a look out tower, Katherine had mentioned that the Commander preferred not to be disturbed unless it was of commendable importance.  
  
The right of the twin doors opened as Katherine stepped inside everybody else followed suit Yunsung stepping into the room last before allowing the doors to close. One could pretty much see exactly why privacy was preferred by the commander, the room of the tower was built like a thrown room with a platform in the back, the support pillars were lined with several scratched that appeared to have been made by a blade only they were very fine and close together. The group all split off from one another to different parts of the room as it became apparent the leader of the Defenders was not present.   
  
Katherine breathed before she spoke up "The commander must have gone to speak with Colonel Loire, he should be back soon. Surely he will know the whereabouts of your friend." Katherine said before she dismissed herself from the room. Mina stayed close to Kyle who headed over to place his back against one of the pillars, he looked at her lightly before speaking "Do you know this man that we are seeking?" he asked as he remembered that she had run into many of the original seekers in Spain.  
  
Seung Mina looked up at Kyle lightly hesitating to speak, she was still wondering what new light she was seeing the ever serious Kyle Strife in "I do recall hereing of a young man who was traveling with a maiden from Athens, that was during the race to find Cervantes. Unfortunately Hwang caught me before I had the chance to meet either of them." she said as she flashed back on her first quest beyond Korea. Kyle chuckled lightly "You still haven't forgiven him for that have you?" he questioned, Mina just huffed in responce.  
  
Yunsung looked around the room as he joined Mina and Kyle. Cassandra and Link had taken place next to a pillar across the room, Sophitia had taken a seat on the table in the center of the room, Kilik and Xianghua were near the wall not far from them while Taki and Mitsurugi were not far from them. He breathed before speaking "I don't like the smell of this. What if all of this is just a lost cause?" he asked in a serious amount of doubt.   
  
Mina looked up almost at once as she noticed Sophitia shaking her head obviously fighting doubts of her own "Don't say that. If he could survive all that he went through in the hunt for Soul Edge I'm sure that he wouldn't let a few wounds do him in." Xianghua swallowed lightly from the corner, both she and Kilik knew that it was a pretty bad wound she inflicted on him. Kilik shook his head before speaking "If Nightmare could survive it I'm sure that Siegfried could. After all, Nightmare's source of power is allergic to the Soul Calibur." this seemed to add some confidence to the room.   
  
Yunsung was silent for about five minutes before he turned to Taki, despite that they had not spoken at all he knew that her experiance was only rivaled by Mitsurugi's and possibly Kilik's "What do you think off all this?" he asked her. She looked up speaking "Simple. In the event he is alive we gain a powerful ally that knows Nightmare's tactics. Otherwise we still gain a shard of the Soul Calibur. It really makes no difference to me." she said dryly before walking to the table. Mitsurugi shrugged, he obviously would be a little effected if the man he spent a month dragging to Venice had died.   
  
Everybody pretty much fell silent in the room. Link and Cassandra had halted their conversation. Kyle and Mina had done the same. Kilik and Xianghua were casting one another reassuring glances and Sophitia was now pacing lightly while Mitsurugi and Taki were calm as always. Yunsung personally was worried about Talim. While Drake seemed like a trustworthy guy something just seemed to ironic about him showing up in that place and then offering to join them. He was beginning to fear that he was falling into jealousy which was the one thing that Hwang, the man he was working to surpass just plain hated.   
  
Taki walked to Sophitia who now starred at something on the wall "I have seen that sword before." she breathed. She was looking at a trio of large five foot blades mounted on the wall, each of a different design. The first one had a golden hilt and the blade was in a normal looking sharp. The second was an al steel blade and at the tip was an odd blunted area, obviously it was made to get stuck in on something and stay there. The third was a pure work of art. The blade was serrated near the hilt and the edges were a shimmering luster of silver. There were several golden runes up and down the blade accenting its place in the commander's hands.   
  
Sophitia gasped as she finally noticed the marks on the first blade "This sword is Faust!" she let out rather sharply. Some of them had no clue what that was, Yunsung was about to ask when Mitsurugi cut in with his extensive knowledge "Apparently it is the German made Zewihander that defeated the Soul Edge, wielded by the same man that we are searching for. They must have recovered it after Nightmare began to appear, using it as some sort of symbol." Sophitia slowly nodded. The question was obvious though, if Siegfried had been found...why did the Commander have it?  
  
Sophitia was about to point this out when she suddenly noticed a few strands of her hair being blown loose by a draft, they all turned to see Katherine Chambers entering the room once again "I'm sorry I can't seem to find him anywhere." she admitted.   
  
Mitsurugi huffed lightly at this, he was beginning to doubt the organization of the Defenders "How much longer must we wait? Didn't your superior know anything?" he said refering to the Colonel she had spoken of earlier, Arus Loire.   
  
Katherine shook her head at this "Arus doesn't seem to know either. I'll continue looking." she said before leaving the room. While everybody seemed to just be annoyed by the fact they were being made to wait Link seemed to have become much more alert as he heard that name.  
  
Cassandra looked to him as he made an effort to shake it off "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a dead man?" she said. Link looked at her and nodded claiming that it was just a familiar name that he wasn't particularly fond of, Cassandra accepted this.   
  
Even as the door shut there was still a light draft in the room, this lead Sophitia's eyes to discover a small door on the side of the room. It appeared to be just open enough for a light wind to blow into the chamber, Sophitia without much hesitation stepped toward the door as if drawn by it. The others followed her out to find a large balcony overlooking the city, it was semi-circular in shape and a pair of gargoyles lined the edges. Sophitia stood there shocked as she starred at a man standing at the center looking over the city.   
  
Cassandra observed this and looked at the man who had taken the attention of her sister's eyes, he stood around her own height maybe a little more from what she could see and appeared to be whom they were looking for, the Defender's Commander. He was obviously of northern decent as he possessed the dark blonde hair that went halfway down his back, this barely conceiled what looked like an exit wound probably made by a blade going through the left side of his abdomen. This could only be seen due to the fact he wore no shirt allowing his powerful form to be seen. He did however wear a pair of dark pants and boots that seemed appropriate in the fair weather the city was having.   
  
His right arm moved over the railing as he leaned forward, everything fro his upper arm to his fingertips was wrapped in white bandages. He didn't appear to be in any pain however and didn't make a sound as he looked out over the city, the only real whisper was that of the passing wind. Sophitia breathed as she felt her heart rate go up in great amounts as more an more of the similarities became apparent to her. Link looked at Cassandra as he noticed the scar "Somehow I am not surprised." he said. Taki repeated Link words in agreement.   
  
Kyle gripped Oblivion's hilt as he felt the ominous presence coming from the man, it was not normal it was like the aura of a man screaming for redemption. Kilik looked at this man easily seeing the resemblance between him and Nightmare, his attention was lightly taken away and he allowed the Kali-Yuga to slip lightly enough to stand erect on the ground. The sound of the metal against the stone was all it took to disturb the tranquility of the balcony and the man turned his head back to look at them as they stood there.   
  
The unruly bangs of his blond hair played upon his forehead as a pair of dark blue eyes looked back at Sophitia's emerald ones. A thin scar went down over his right eye probably just missing his iris and his face possessed features of most of the more handsome northern men. Xianghua noticed the nasty looking scar on the left side of his abdomen in the exact spot she had stabbed Nightmare with the Soul Calibur. Mitsurugi lightly chuckled at this turn of events as this was not only the obvious commander of the Defenders but the same young man he had dragged out of the wastelands. Of course the way Sophitia and him starred at one another made it clear, this was Siegfried Schtaffen.  
  
The violent creature let out another battle cry as he rushed Raphael and Maxi once again with his ax which was apparently called Agony. Both of them jumped away as the monster tore another piece of the deck out, Maxi growled "For the love of...! Lay of my damned boat!!" he shouted at the monster.  
  
The ax wielding demon pulled his ax free before he looked at Maxi holding it up so the spike between the blades pointed at him "Hand over your shards and I'll leave peacefully. There is no need for us to fight like this, you cannot win." he said as he went back into stance.   
  
Drake had been waiting for this moment as the monster took his mind off of the two warriors from the wind village. Talim suddenly darted toward the demon jumped up and twisting around, the two elbow blades cut a pair of deep gorges in his back spilling an amount of the glowing green blood. The demon roared in pain as Talim used her agility to duck under the swipe of its arm and lure his eyes away from Drake who stood ready.   
  
"You little...argh..." he growled in pain as his bleeding wounds seemed to smolder as if his blood was liquid fire. Drake decided he didn't have anymore time to waste and jumped down from the wheel landing behind the creature, the monster moved to turn but was not quick enough as Drake jumped up his swords flashing from their sheaths. The demon's eyes went wide as the sharp edges of the swords were braced against his neck, he then took notice of the frenchman rushing at him with his rapier.   
  
There was a flash of bright green to the monster as his blood was spilled. The twin tantos were drawn across his neck cutting open the area where the windpipe would be almost at the exact same time Raphael plunged his rapier into the monsters chest. Talim had also come along the side putting a slash wound at the monster's waist causing him to drop the axe which reformed into the crimson cape which spread out across the deck.   
  
Raphael pulled his sword free from the monster's chest the green blood boiling on his blade as Drake backflipped off the monster's back kicking it to the ground. Raphael looked back at Maxi "I've seen more than enough of the Soul Edge's victims but I don't think I've ever seen anything this horrible. He actually had a style to his fighting but at the same time had the raw power of all the others." he breathed as he cleaned his rapier, surprised to find that the blood was not even hot as he expected.   
  
Drake reached down prying open the monster's hand taking the Soul Edge shard from him holding it in his half gloved hand. He looked at it as he wondered if he could get off by just handing this one over to the Black Wind, then neither him nor Talim would be forced to fight in the end.   
  
[Bastards. I'm through with this merciful shit.] the demon thought to himself as he slowly climbed to his feet drawing the eyes of everybody including the young Drake who was standing right next to the once fallen monster. The monster straightened up and growled as if in pain as something happened, Drake's jaw lightly dropped as he watched the deep, always lethal wound he had inflicted slowly heal over until there was nothing to look at but the deep black material that was somehow the monster's flesh.   
  
Drake for the first time in a long time was now officially scared as he knew of no other, that could heal themselves at such a rapid pace. Drake looked at him as he straightened up and looked right down at him "What are you?" he murmured under his breath his hands unable to move for his swords.   
  
The somehow living demon spoke to Drake in his deep voice that was no longer ready to allow mercy in this battle "I have been called many things. Those of the underworld call me Spawn." he raised his hand and Drake could feel a powerful and unseen force growing "I was reborn in Hell and given a second chance but first I must take the Soul Edge. So I do not have time for you to stand in my way!" he said before drawing back his hand.   
  
"Don't take this personally kid!" he shouted before an orb of fire appeared in his palm which he brought down the strike Drake in the chest with. The impact knocked the breath right out of Drake as it sent him straight off of the ship and over the water. His body skipped several times like a smooth stone before he struck the hull of the Nightwraith back first and then vanished into the water.   
  
"Drake!" Talim screamed as she placed her elbow blades back on her belt preparing to dive in after him, despite the distance. However as she prepared to go after him she noticed a shape from the ship "Naoyuki. Please." she breathed as she saw Yunsung's long time friend and the captain of the Nightwraith go in after Drake. She also noticed Jack taking position on the side of the Nightwraith with his rifle.   
  
The creature who had addressed himself as Spawn looked at Talim before speaking "He should be fine if he is saved in time. I'm sick of fighting you people, just give up or I'll be forced to destroy you." he said. He then noticed Talim running at him, he breathed as he held up his hand ready to defend. However he had no clue what kind of power circulated behind her tiny frame.   
  
Talim rushed at him swinging with her elbow blades several times putting several gashes into the Hellspawn's arms before she took a step back and then front flipped. Both her feet struck him hard in the face and sent him tumbling back over the railing and on to the docks. She back flipped and landed on her feet perfectly before dropping back into stance. She was breathing heavily now, in her style anger was to be kept out but after seeing what she had it wasn't exactly easy to just hold back.   
  
Maxi looked at Talim as Stephan and Michael came out from the ship "You get over the Nightwraith and check with Naoyuki and Drake. I have a score to settle with this green eyed freak." he said before jumping over the railing of the ship. Raphael followed suit not allowing Talim to give her opinion in any way, without anything else to do she made up her mind and jumped the railing as well.   
  
[Why does everything always have to go so shitty for me?] the hellspawn mentally questioned himself as he slowly climbed to his feet. He couldn't believe the fighters that he was up against. One was an Elvis look alike that used nunchakus and seemed to fight off of raw aggression. Then there was a pair of teenage brats that had both given him quite a bit of pain. Finally there was a frenchman. A frenchman! He couldn't even remember if the french had a word for victory and he seemed to be one of their best.   
  
He could only blame the one that sent him here in this empowered body of his, he was nowhere near as used to it as the one he had grown in and he had absolutely no experiance fighting with bladed weapons. He could hardly utilize his powers without taking quite a bit of time and all he could truly do was heal, and the act of saving himself was already making him weaker. He growled as he climbed to his feet and raised his hand, his cape flowed over the deck and to his hand reforming into Agony.   
  
He watched as the young girl who had kicked him off the ship ran to check on the boy he had sent away from the battle ground, this left him with only the ship's captain and the frenchman. He growled [Damn it Al, you've got to take this seriously. Screw this up and your shit out of luck. Get your shit together!] he mentally yelled at himself as he stood up. He swipped the ax once through the air before his eyes flashed, he felt his body loosening up as he remembered his close quarters combat training "Alright you bastards! Say your prayers!"   
  
Cassandra looked to Link who stood there behind Sophitia observing everything he saw with great interest, Link took notice that Sophitia was also very much in shock at the sight of this man. Sophitia was nerve wrecked at this point, she had absolutely no clue of what to say to him after so long. He in turn took a breath before speaking "Have you too come to condemn me for my mistakes, Sophitia?" he asked looking away crossing his arms over his chest. Sophitia breathed ever so lightly as the man spoke again "I'm not surprised. There isn't much I could ever say that would make me worthy of forgiveness." he said as he looked out over the city of Venice.  
  
Yunsung soon became irritated with the silence and looked toward Kilik who seemed to be the most commanding presence there "Can we just get this over with and get the shard?" he asked clearly impatient.   
  
This earned him a swift shot to the ribs from Mina who shot him an angry glare as she lowered the Scarlet Thunder "This is not the time for you to be selfish Yunsung. Give them some room." she growled at him. He painfully nodded in response.   
  
Kyle meanwhile stepped up to Mitsurugi who stood to the side of the crowd, the samurai looked toward Strife as he spoke "Is he the man that was once Nightmare?" he asked, despite the resemblance between the two he wanted to make sure anyway. Mitsurugi nodded his head in response before he noticed Sophitia slowly stepping toward the poor soul.  
  
"Siegfried....is it really you?" she asked in a low voice as she moved toward him, he looked off to the side as he was addressed by this name "If I even deserve to be called that anymore, then yes. Sophitia." he said lowly, obviously he was ashamed to have to face her after all this time.   
  
Taki stepped up to Sophitia placing a hand on her nervous shoulder, she was unsure of how much they could trust this man. Siegfried sighed bringing one hand to his head as if it were in pain "So do you mean to tell me why you went through the trouble of breaking into this place or just stand around gawking all day?" he said obviously fed up with their ever drilling gazes.  
  
Kilik looked at Xianghua and nodded, she took a breath before she stepped forward to join the other women "Mitsurugi tells us he brought you here, I believe something was left in your body to prevent further injury. Does this mean anything to you?" she asked.   
  
Siegfried nodded before stepping away from the balcony and back toward the doorway "Follow me." he ordered without turning to face them. Taki stepped first followed closely by Sophitia and then the rest of the group as they reentered the commander's room.  
  
Once back in the room Siegfried moved over to the platform in the rear of the room which held up a large chair. He moved up to the chair pulling it aside and then taking the carpet that was under it away. This revealed a part of the floor that was cut in the shape of a square. Reaching down he gripped the attached iron ring before pulling a solid wooden box up from the floor. He placed it down on the floor and Xianghua felt that same aura as from when Nightmare handed over the blade piece. He reached up pulling the side of the thick crate loose with his right bandaged hand before he reached inside and came back with a long shimmering piece of metal.  
  
Xianghua beamed at it with relief as he stepped down the platform lightly tossing it into the air before catching it "I hope this wee thing is worth all the pain I have been going through in the last few months." he said looking at the healed over scar.   
  
Sophitia stepped up to him which made him slightly uncomfortable, she guessed that he had memories of what happened when she confronted him at the castle in Germany "You actually held on to the blade that almost killed you?" she questioned a little surprised.  
  
His eyes slid closed as he spoke in a solemn voice "It was because of this blade that I was able to fall through Nightmare. It almost purified Soul Edge and to keep from death it had to throw its host away." he explained. This did little more than bring more questions.  
  
Sophitia looked at him not understanding "Then why is he still around and looking like you as well?" he almost instantly asked how she knew this and she quickly explained about the incident in Oman over the course of about ten minutes.   
  
Siegfried absorbed all of this and looked to the elven warrior who removed his hood, but he unlike others did not stare or ask questions. He only answered Sophitia's original question "I'm still oblivious to how Nightmare managed to stay attached to the Soul Edge. I have a theory though it is only a guess." he explained.   
  
Sophitia requested to hear this, he sighed before he spoke "Well as you know the Soul Edge was only possessed by me...or Nightmare...whichever for only five years before it was defeated. While Soul Edge attempted to poison me it could only take control of the side of me that wanted to continue holding the blade, that little shred of my own greed and lust for power. I guess when Mitsurugi drove the Soul Calibur deeper it split us in to. Nightmare and myself. Because unlike Cervantes de Leon, I could not be completely dominated by the sword's power." everybody didn't like the sound of any of this.  
  
Siegfried shook his head before speaking "I cannot be sure of anything, all I know is that essentially Nightmare has full control of the Soul Edge. I absorbed a lot of knowledge from the Soul Edge and do know that this broken blade, the Soul Calibur was originally forged to destroy the Soul Edge. If you are going to continue your campaign to destroy the sword for good, this blade might be your best option." he said holding it out to Sophitia.   
  
Sophitia took the thin blade from Siegfried as he presented it to her and then turned stepping down from the platform to hand it to Xianghua who placed it in the bag she held under her shoulder. Everybody seemed to be slightly more positive as several of them nodded to Siegfried who did the same in response, only problem was he had no intention of helping them further.   
  
Yunsung looked up to the others "Alright so now we've got another piece of the blade and another teammate, shouldn't be nearly as hard now to get the Soul Edge away from them." he said. Some of them seemed a little optimistic but agreed.  
  
Siegfried slowly sat back in his chair with a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling "I really don't think so. All you gain here is the shard and if you give me a little time possibly directions as to where the next one is. I'm not going anywhere." he announced causing a little surprise to everybody but none of them seemed to react much. Except for an ever hopeful Yunsung.  
  
Next Chapter: Through Hell and Back  
  
Yunsung loses his cool and verbally assaults Siegfried who in turn shares just how foolish the young Korean is. The battle going on at the docks is brought to his attention and Siegfried, being the most powerful member of the Defenders finds himself setting out to go head to head against the Hellspawn that seeks the Soul Edge.  
  
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	34. Through Hell and Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay I don't know if they had military words like Colonel and General back then but lets just assume that they did. It will make things a lot less complicated. Also it may take a while to get Yoshimitsu or Heihachi into this.   
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Three: Through Hell and Back  
  
"WHAT?!" Yunsung suddenly blurted out as he stepped up to the platform but not much further. "Oh no." Kyle and Mina both signed in unison as Yunsung began shouting at the commander of the Defenders.  
  
"Do you mean to tell me that after all that has happened you just going to cut out and call it even?!" Yunsung shouted at Siegfried ignoring Mina's demands to calm down.  
  
Siegfried looked back at the annoyed Korean "Of course. If I felt like going after that forsaken thing I wouldn't be here right now listening to you whine like a newborn." he explained calmly.   
  
Yunsung growled as he waved his arms in the air clearly enraged "I can't believe this! We spend this much time hunting down this great warrior that Nightmare gets all of his skills from and all we find is a coward?!" he shouted, Siegfried however seemed unnerved by this.   
  
"Thats enough Yunsung!" Cassandra shouted at him from her place against one of the pillars. "You have no right to speak about him in such a manner!" Mina shouted in defense along with Sophitia.   
  
"Oh shut up! It can't be said he's anything else!" he retorted. Siegfried looked to the side his eyes closing in withheld sorrow "After spending five years looking through my own eyes at the Azure Nightmare's actions from the back of my own mind, watching his massacres and rampages, I'm not going to risk being taken back into that kind of Hell." he breathed as he flashed back.   
  
Sophitia normally would have gone with Yunsung and insisted he come but found that she couldn't even contemplate his pain. Link lowered his eyes as well, he had been through a lot in his life but he had never been possessed or been forced to murder the innocent, he couldn't even imagine. In fact the very attempt to made him sick to the very pit of his stomach.  
  
Yunsung looked at everybody as they supported Siegfried's decision, he found himself unable to believe that they were taking pity on him "Kyle? Taki?!" he said addressing two of the more serious seekers. The ones that more than likely felt that the Defender's leader was obligated to help them.   
  
Kyle let his hand tilt on his sword as he found himself ashamed of having Yunsung with his group "I've no say or care in this matter. The shard was my only concern, it is after all his life. Which has been robbed from him enough." he said much to the admiration of Mina.   
  
Taki lightly shrugged as she was addressed "It isn't often that I take pity on anybody. But it is not our place to demand his assistance further. Though I would like his help he has been forced through enough." she said showing a rarely seen drop of pity.   
  
Yunsung groaned as he looked up at a seemingly satisfied Siegfried, he moved up the stairs ready to really get in his face. Mina wanted to stop him but Kyle held her back knowing it was pointless. "I can't believe this! Why is it such a big deal to just accept what has happened and move on?! What the Hell is your problem?!" this earned Yunsung a hard blow to the face.  
  
Siegfried without a seconds hesitation shot up from his chair back fisting Yunsung across the face, everybody in the room watched with awe as Yunsung was sent clean of the platform to land on his back near Sophitia who stepped back. Siegfried glared down at the brash young Korean before speaking "Hell? Hell?! You don't even know the meaning of the word you pathetic fool. I might as well have been dragged through that place and back over the roughest terrain, you cannot possibly image what kind of 'Hell' I have seen and experienced." he growled.   
  
Yunsung slowly got to his feet rubbing the fresh bruise on his chin, he was lucky he wasn't missing teeth from such a blow "You wanna try me?!" he shouted in anger going for his sword. This was right before there was the sound of a blade leaving its sheath and he looked to see Mitsurugi standing there with Shishi-Oh right next to his windpipe "Stay down. Shut up and listen." he said before he kicked Yunsung's left hand out from under him.   
  
Siegfried continued as if nothing had happened between Mitsurugi and Yunsung "I feel a crippling pain in my heart and soul every time I close my eyes. Images of the killings, of the massacres have been burned with the sharpest of fires into my mind. I remember every last face, or every last person ever to fall by the blade of the Soul Edge while it was still in my hands. Men, women, children, entire families and I was able to do nothing. Soul Edge has no bounds it just kills and it did it through my God given hands! You honestly think that any sane mortal man has the strength to just bare that kind of Hell?!" he screamed at Yunsung as if he was on the edge of his sanity.  
  
Siegfried breathed before he turned his gaze to look at the wall where his swords were along with a suit of armor that had been recovered a while ago "Not that I blame those that hate me for what happened. For every action there is a consequence. No deed done for oneself goes unpunished. I ignored these warnings and took the Soul Edge and the world suffered for it. I am not sure if I am immune to the blade after managing to escape it but I don't wish to take any chances." he sighed as he fell back into his chair "Please. Let me be alone." he breathed as he looked at the floor.   
  
Yunsung now officially felt like a real jerk, everybody else in the room probably looked at him in a different light after what he had done to this man. Sophitia approached the mourning Siegfried trying to at least get him to talk to her more before they were forced to move on "Siegfried...think about..." she didn't have much time to continue before he slammed his right fist into the chair and looked at them "Just...get...out." he breathed. Sophitia turned, defeated and prepared to order them to move out.   
  
Yunsung slowly stood to his feet removing his hand from his blade as Mitsurugi moved away huffing as he did so. He looked toward Mina and Kyle who both shook their heads and headed for the door, Kilik looked down at him as Xianghua passed still admiring the glistening shard of the Soul Calibur, neither made jestures of disappointment. "Bonehead." he murmured to himself as he followed them, looking back to apologize he found Siegfried heading back toward the balcony to continue his meditation.   
  
Suddenly as Mitsurugi was about to exit the room the doors burst open and Katherine stood there looking a little out of breath "Commander! We have a serious problem down by the docks!" Siegfried only turned his head back to look at his fiery haired Captain "Let Arus deal with it, fights between those drunken traders are not a cause for our concern." he said once again referring to one of his best men, for some reason the one called Link breathed heavier everytime this name was brought up.  
  
Katherine didn't adhere to Siegfried's wishes as she stepped in to the room "Sir this is not the traders or any kind of a riot. As for Colonel Loire he just came from there and claims that some sort of creature is connected to a great deal of fires and explosions." as this was said an image of a flaming skull flashed in the back of his mind, without another word he turned completely around to face the Captain "Where is this creature?" he asked in cold seriousness.   
  
Katherine looked back quickly scanning her own memory before coming up with an answer "According to our scouts he was last spotted on the lower harbor, where most of the civilian ships have been requested to land." Sophitia gasped as she realized exactly where she was speaking of. Siegfried looked up at her requesting to know what was wrong, she quickly looked back to him "Our ship is in that area, we must hurry. Whatever this thing is it might be after the shards we've collected so far." none of this rested well with the Commander obviously.   
  
Siegfried took a breath as he headed out of the roof reaching up with his left hand to snatch the large steel sword from the middle of the collection, the one with the blunt tip. "Beautiful." he growled in response knowing the severity of the situation. He looked back at the group as they watched him prepare to leave "What are you waiting for? This is your fight too isn't it?" he said virtually ordering them to get a move on. They all responded by running past him and toward the stairs, he looked back at Sophitia and nodded. She nodded back and they both moved off.  
  
The creature that was once known as Al Simmons roared as he raised his hand and hurled another fireball at the pirate with the nunchakus, who jumped hard to the side to avoid it at it struck the side of the ship he had been on. He growled as he looked back able to see that the window of Sophitia's room had been blown open, it wouldn't take much effort to fix but then there was money. He was cautious of the man with the rifle that had taken stance while the girl went into the water after the boy he assumed was a friend or something  
  
"Oh good!" Maxi groaned in anger as the monster rushed him again swinging his axe, Maxi swung hard hitting the blade in the side taking it off course before striking the monster in the stomach but like so many times before it was uneffected. Raphael was there but he wasn't much good against such a broad weapon, Maxi jumped to attack again swinging at the monster's head but that is where he made his mistake.   
  
The creature had finally gotten wise to his style and shooting up a free hand through him away by his leg sending him to the wooden ground painfully. "Damn it all. You alright?" Raphael growled as he noticed the monster going toward the shattered window as if it was being called. Maxi slowly sat up holding his side "He's going after the shards...stop him." he groaned in pain his ribs ailing him. Raphael stood up before he raised his rapier and rushed at the hellspawn. The creature turned around right in time to get the blade through the right side of his chest, he let out a growl of pain but hardly flinched.   
  
Raphael locked eyes with the demon, they glowed an eerie green. It was hardly human it was otherworldly and very scary even to the hardened warrior, he knew there was no winning this thing "Phantom! What do you want with the shards?!" he demanded to know. The creature pushed Raphael away causing him to draw back his blade, he spoke "I've been to Hell. I've seen the fires and made a pact that will return me. I don't know what the circumstances are and I really don't give a damn! Just stay out of my way!" Raphael growled.   
  
Just as this was said the creature's head snapped up just as something struck him hard in the chest sending him slamming to the dock's surface. The creature reared as he pulled a barbed arrow from his chest screaming in pain as he did, he looked up to see a young man in a cloak lowering a bow. [I've been hit with arrows before but damn, what kind of power is put behind that one? Feels like I just got hit with a bolt of lightning.] his mind wandered as he felt a light energy coming off of the arrow head he had just removed. He then noticed a blonde man stepping forward who carried a very large sword.   
  
Link lowered his bow breathing heavily as he did, this weapon that he had brought with him was easily the most accurate weapon he possessed but most of the power he could put through it had been drained. Without the ability to utilize his magic in this world he was limited to leeching off his own energy [There has to be a better way...] he breathed mentally as Siegfried walked past him nodding to him. He looked up to see Raphael getting to his feet to get Maxi away from the demon that had proven more than a match for them.  
  
Sophitia looked the demon over from where she stood unable to even start making assumptions as to what it could be. The first thing she noticed was the jet black flesh all across his body, while from where she stood it seemed like a costume but at the same time it like a foreign flesh that refused to leave his own. The monster looked back into the area that was her room eyeing the box that she kept the cursed shards of the Soul Edge and the Soul Blade, normally no mortal could feel their calls from their confines, this ment that this creature must have already had one.  
  
Sophitia could feel no shard on him and began to scan the area and her gaze eventually feel near the Nightwraith where she noticed Talim and Jack pulling an injured Drake from the water. He held a hand clutched around something "Oh no..." Sophitia breathed. He looked back quickly informing Kilik who ran by her followed closely by Xianghua, they were probably the only other two besides herself and Link who were truly immune to the temptations of the Soul Edge. Kilik had of course gone through the long process of purifying the Evil Seed and the Soul Edge more than likely hated Xianghua to a heavy fault for breaking it up.  
  
The creature looked toward the group raising his ax as if to demand the next challenger, Kyle looked toward Raphael and Maxi and was about to step forward when Siegfried raised his arm looking toward the creature. Kyle looked at him, his eyes like that of a wolf who has had his territory violated "What business do you have with this monster?" he asked him before he noticed Siegfried looking at the creature. He had heard of the men who returned to the world with such eyes after horrible, distasteful deaths "How ironic." he said before he began to advance.  
  
Kyle Strife was about to interfere but stood back taking his place back by Mina's side. The lovely Seung Mina looked up at him before speaking "Since when do you heed the wishes of others? Never seen you or Hwang back down from any kind of a challenge." she said pointing out yet another similarity to two of them had, this resulted in a huff of irritated nature from Yunsung.  
  
Kyle looked at her smiling lightly before he admitted that he turned back to the slowly advancing Siegfried "I've heard much about the nameless man that was before he was Nightmare, apparently a great tactician and warrior. With all of Soul Edge's knowledge in his head perhaps he will know how to put this thing down. I'm not going to risk a battle that I may not have to fight, at least not until De Leon." he said with a seriousness that chilled Mina's heart. It almost made her pity him even more.  
  
Spawn looked up as the man approached him. After what that seemingly average archer had done to him he decided to be extra careful and looked the man over. He took note that he unlike the other warriors wore no kind of armor aside from the dark leather boots on his feet and the loose black pants, other than that and the bandages encircling his right arm he was bare. Across his chest was a leather sling for holding a sword, only difference was he carried a much large blade than any other warrior he had encountered. He then noticed the glare of a tortured soul, he looked upon him as if he was his tormentor [What's this guy's problem?] he asked himself.   
  
Siegfried looked up at the former mortal with a pair of icy eyes that surpassed those of any warrior he had ever seen "I don't know who you are, or where you came from. Leave this place at once and I will not be forced to cut you down." he said, this was no idle threat or a bluff he ment every word of it. The creature narrowed his already sharp eyes before he raised his ax and lightning seemed to jump from his body, Siegfried lightly huffed getting ready. This creature's spirit was strong but it was full of hatred and anger, two very big drawbacks in a battle.   
  
The monster followed Siegfried's every movement as she slowly drew his sword with his left hand the weight clearly taking advantage of his mortal limits, he decided to take his chance and rushed the warrior hard holding his ax back with his right hand. Siegfried stood his ground as the titan approached him and slowly brought his right hand to grip the end of his hilt, the monster took no notice of this as he rushed up closing the ten foot mark it would be impossible for any normal man to launch an effective attack at this point with such a weapon. Siegfried however just smiled slightly at the monster's rush.   
  
He gripped the blade's hilt completely with his right arm before swinging up with speed unsurpassed with the weapon, the blade clashed with the ax slapping it aside before the blade came back down to smash into the monster's shoulder hoping to draw him in half. Siegfried's eyes narrowed as he watched his blade only get so far into the flesh before the strange costume suddenly became solid preventing the cut in like an armor. Siegfried quickly retaliated swinging his blade like a club smashing the flat end into the demon's head sending his stumbling back.   
  
Sophitia was shocked, needless to say. During the time she was traveling Siegfried could never hope to swing the blade so well, he could hold his own back then but the blade might as well have been made of a hallow frame. It wasn't long before both of them were at one another's throats again.  
  
Spawn growled before he sprung to his feet rushing at the man swinging his blade hard at him which clashed against the sword, he then raised his free hand and attempted to throw another fireball directly in his face hoping for an instant KO or kill. Siegfried quickly retaliated bringing his right arm up to shield his face, the monster then raised his ax to come down again. Siegfried had not expected such raw power and knew he had to do something, he caught sight of his hand now revealed by the burnt bandages and decided he might as well put such a reminder to good use.   
  
His left hand shot up gripping his blade to ward off the blow deflecting the impact almost completely, he then looked down at the creature's exposed abdomen and took his chance. He brought back his right hand but didn't bring it into a fist instead he headed right at the hell spawn's mid-section as if to grab something.  
  
Spawn grunted as he felt a piercing pain in his abdomen before he was hoisted up into the air and then smashed into the wooden surface of the dock, he quickly recovered rolling away as the large blade came down in the attempt to decapitate him. He looked at the man whom he was fighting to see his own glowing blood coating his fingertips which had been replaced by claws coming from where his finger nail should have been. Scars trailed up his arm parts of his flesh being heavily callused, he now knew that this man was a lot more than a simple knight.   
  
Siegfried looked at his opponent completely ignoring the gasps and stares of the White Wind's present members. He watched as the creature slowly healed up his wounds, he also took notice that the demon was now breathing heavily and Siegfried shook his head lightly "You might be powerful but your to over confident to bother dodging. Healing takes a lot out of you doesn't it?" he asked.   
  
[Damn it Al. This isn't going to work!] the hell spawn shouted mentally at himself as he took a deep breath before looking toward the Nightwraith where his shard was, in the hands of that brat that attacked him earlier. He looked back to the knight that was still ready for him but he knew that if he continued he would not have the energy to heal [Should have figured whoever else had the shards wouldn't be normal. I have to learn more about this body first, then I can continue. I'm sorry Wanda, wait a little longer.] he breathed mentally.   
  
He then looked up as he lowered his ax and it melted back into a cape which appeared back on his shoulders flowing all around his feet, he gathered his thoughts and spoke in his deep voice "Something tells me that we haven't seen the last of one another. Next time, things will be different!" the demon shouted before suddenly the cape wrapped around his body and then he vanished. Little did they know he had slipped into a sub dimension other wise known as the void, at his will he could return to this world in another location but he needed a great deal of energy to pull off such a task which he was lacking.  
  
Siegfried lowered his sword before he stabbed it into the docks having very little idea of what he had just seen, he now remembered exactly what that creature was. It was a hellspawn. A creature that had at some point been a man before something about him caught the attention of one of the underworld's demons. There were many possibilities, but all of it came to the same ends no matter what makes the possibility of their attractive to the devils, to serve the devils of the underworld in exchange for something great. From Soul Edge's knowledge the most often sought is a second chance at life.   
  
So much knowledge placed into Siegfried's mind by the Soul Edge, perhaps it wasn't such a curse after all he now realized that there was something much more grave going on. The Soul Edge was no longer the goal of only humans, he had known for a long time that it was an unholy weapon that could give great power to whoever wielded it and now it seemed that even demonic forces of the realm beyond life sought to claim the sword for their own. [This is really bad.] He growled mentally as he looked back at the group, Sophitia in particular. She was all but ready to beg for his assistance and with such a realization he wasn't so sure of what to do.   
  
Reclaiming his blade he stepped back toward the group a good number of them looking toward either him or the Nightwraith obviously worried about the one Kilik and Xianghua had run after to check on. Maxi however moved over to his check to assess the damage and in his own words: Decide just how long he was going to keep that freak alive. Sophitia looked at him able to see the conflict between the two choices he had "What are you going to do now?" she asked. Siegfried breathed as he placed the flat edge of his sword on his shoulder "Lets check on your friend first." he said. With that the group all headed toward the Nightwraith.  
  
Next Chapter: Heart to Heart (Part One)  
  
After managing to get Drake out of the water and claim the stolen fragment Siegfried makes a discovery that takes much burden from his shoulders. However he still is unsure on if he wants to join their cause or not and decides to take the night to decide. In the meantime a number of the other seekers talk with one another, some sharing deeper issues than others. Cassandra asks Link's opinions on a few things, Sophitia tells Siegfried about her life, Kyle is approached by Mina on a number of things, Talim and Drake flashback to the good old days. More in the next chapter...  
  
GIVE ME REVIEWS OR GIVE ME IDEAS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! 


	35. Heart To Heart Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.   
  
Authors Note: Okay I don't know if they had military words like Colonel and General back then but lets just assume that they did. It will make things a lot less complicated. Also it may take a while to get Yoshimitsu or Heihachi into this.   
  
PROFILES: Added Profiles for Siegfried Schtauffen and Spawn/Al Simmons. The link to these can be found in the author's profile.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Four: Heart to Heart (Part One)  
  
While Maxi and Raphael decided to stay behind and assess the damage expenses to the Eternal Wind, the members of the Four Blades had moved on ahead obviously wanting to check on their own ship. The present members of the White Wind all followed Siegfried and Sophitia toward the Nightwraith knowing they had to check on Drake who had been swatted clear across the harbor by the mighty demon. Kilik and Xianghua had already gone to check but a little extra help never hurt.   
  
The group of Siegfried, Sophitia, Link and Cassandra were just relieved that the demon had vanished but Taki and Mitsurugi were suspicious. Despite his monstrous powers and energy he was no kind of demonic force the huntress had ever encountered and according to Sophitia it was not fueled by the Soul Edge's power, Siegfried however insisted there was definately a foreign energy to him and ordered the White Wind to be on their guard.   
  
It didn't take long for the group to cross the harbor and reach the smaller vessel called the Nightwraith, stepping up on deck they were greeted by the sight of several people standing around a concerned Talim trying to awaken a motionless Drake. Yunsung looked at the younger warrior he had started to resent before speaking to Talim "Is he alright?" he asked in concern. Taki stepped over to Drake, probably the first person she had actually felt indebted to in a long time.   
  
Yunsung stepped back as did the young priestess as the huntress checked a few places around Drake's neck and chest feeling for broken bones. She smiled before looking at Talim "He will be fine when he wakes up. I don't know what struck him but it seems to have only taken his breath for the moment." Talim let out a sigh of relief as she noticed Drake stir lightly. He then held out his left hand over the deck and glow able to be seen on the wood.   
  
Taki saw this and knelt down prying open his hand which dropped yet another shard of the Soul Edge, the huntress looked at Talim "He stole it from him?" she said refering to the creature. Talim nodded and Taki found herself chuckling lightly, Drake was just as thrill issued as either Byakko or Yugo. As she prepared to claim the shard something happened that none of them had seen before. The shard itself had other plans.  
  
Without any kind of warning it shot up out of Drake's hand driven by and indefinite force cutting a shallow gash into the demon huntress's right hand, the upsurge of demonic energy in turn caused her to fall back. Luckily her adaptation to her own tainted weapon protected her from any kind of infection, Mitsurugi moved up catching her by the shoulders "Are you alright?" he asked in his native language. Taki nodded seeming disoriented from the shard's sudden attack, Talim had also reacted by pulling Drake away with the help of Yunsung.   
  
Everybody else seemed to prepare themselves as the ever sought after fragment levitated before them as if it had a will of its own outside the main blade. Sophitia knew that the Soul Blade hated both her and Taki with a vengeance, and the Soul Edge probably had the same feelings toward Kilik and Xianghua but none of them had never seen any of the fragments become so violent from their presence. Kilik had also made the theory that the Soul Edge was probably more grateful to Sophitia, shattering the Blade gave Soul Edge a higher place on the balance.   
  
The fragment spoke out, in the same matter it had spoken to them in Oman. Not in a spoken language but in a variety of signals, sounds and feelings that were sent directly into their minds which were somehow understood without any effort. These were nowhere near as casual as in Oman, these were created from malice, anger and hatred and the very words summed it up Traitorous Mortal! Worthless Backstabber! Despicable Bastard! it roared out in the unnamed language.  
  
Sophitia was probably the only one who understood right of and her eyes turned to an irritated Siegfried, the way his eyes narrowed sent chills down her spine. The younger warrior slowly raised his claw tipped right hand and flexed it slightly as if reflecting on his time as Nightmare "I've been called much worse and I do believe there is a difference between betrayal and falling out of an alliance forged on lies." he said referring to the apparently redeeming properties of the blade. Siegfried raised his tainted hand before motioning for the fragment to do its worse.  
  
The fragment of the Soul Edge glowed the brightest any of them had ever seen fueled by the knowledge of the damage Siegfried had done to it and filled with and unquenchable hatred darted right out at Siegfried attempting to strike him through the chest. Siegfried didn't flinch as his life was threatened by this fragment mimicking an arrow or a bullet instead his reinforced his stance and at the last possible moment raised his hand in a seemingly vain attempt to catch the fragment.   
  
The fragment smashed hard into his hand and continued its attempted to reach its former master's heart but Siegfried managed to hold it back, surprising himself as he did. It seemed to be a short lived battle of wills before Siegfried finally brought his fingers around the shard squeezing his fist around it, the glow pouring from behind his hand as it tried to bombard his mind with every possible temptation as if screaming for him to take back the power he once had. Siegfried only laughed under his breath as he forced the shard down at his side and squeezed hard, the energy seemed to shoot up and then vanish.  
  
There was silence as Siegfried brought up the shard looking at it in the center of his palm "Your stale lies do nothing to excite me, and I am not going to be the pawn of anybody, especially not you." he whispered before he looked up at the group who all seemed to look on. He then looked to Sophitia motioning her over, she took a little time to recover herself before she slowly stepped over to him. Siegfried winced lightly as he removed the shard from his palm which was now burnt and bleeding "It must truly hate me now, I'm pleased." he chuckled.  
  
Sophitia took the shard as he held it out to her, although she felt she should be a little more cautious she could tell there was nothing to fear. Kilik, Talim and the other sensitive to the energies could probably also feel that the energy had been suppressed to the point of being powerless rendering its temptations mute. This was quite the discovery for both her and the young knight, he had unconsciously picked up the ability to not only dispel the blade's energies but also seal them.  
  
"Ask me again, Sophitia Alexandra." she slowly looked up as Siegfried said this, his arms were crossed over his still bare chest and his eyes were very serious, she knew what he was asking her to do. She spoke "Will you come with us? Will you please assist us in the search for the Soul Edge and the Black Wind? Will you please let them know your not backing down?" she asked him touching something in his heart. Despite all he had been through he was still only human at heart and he was still afraid, it was his choice above all.   
  
Everybody picked up on what Sophitia was asking him and several were holding their breath minus Talim and Naoyuki who were unsure of exactly who this man was. She made the assumption that this was the man that they had sought out, she was more concerned about her still unconscious friend. He looked at them before speaking making sure all of them could hear "This is something that you will have to give me the night to think about, in the meantime you are welcome to stay at the fortress. It's the least I can do."   
  
He looked across the harbor remembering Maxi's annoyance and chuckled "I'll also send over some of our people to assist your friend in repairing his ship. Once you know where your going we can resupply you, but we must be strict on how much we can give you." he then started walking eventually vanishing down the road. Sophitia looked back at them and organized them. After Kilik picked up Drake, Maxi managed to calm down and wait for the repairmen and Sophitia managed to retrieve their collection of shard from the ship they headed back to the fortress.   
  
When the group finally arrived back at the fortress it was around nightfall and a good number of them questioned what Siegfried planned to do. Maxi and crew were of course not present, despite the Commander's offer they wanted to oversee the repairs of the Eternal Wind themselves. Kilik and Xianghua had already explained that unless they would be closing in on Astaroth or the Black Wind he wouldn't intrude. The Four Blades had felt the Nightwraith in the capable hands of Naoyuki and Jack, despite the fact Kutter was still part of Maxi's crew he just seemed to get along with the less driven group of seekers.   
  
Kilik breathed as they reached the main hall of the fortress, last time they had been standing there they were ready for conflict but now they knew they were welcome there. Siegfried, Katherine and another man who wore a dark uniform stood at the bottom of the stairs ready to greet them. The man quickly introduced himself as Colonel Arus Loire, Cassandra made a note of this as she had earlier noticed that Link became uneasy the first two or three times this man's name was mentioned.   
  
Siegfried spoke to them as he noticed that neither of his subordinates were about to "You pretty much have the run of the place right now, your rooms are down the hall from the knight's quarters located on the second floor. The kitchen is in the back and your more than welcome to join the others." he shrugged.   
  
Katherine could see Siegfried's difficulty of playing host and quickly decided to cut in "You are our quest here. If you have anything important that needs to be asked please come to be. We will be in the library." she stated.  
  
Siegfried gave a nod of thanks before he turned to move off but was stopped by the sound of a heel stepping forward, he looked back to see Xianghua standing there "Wait, I have a few questions to ask!" she said grabbing his attention. It was obvious to Siegfried that she was wondering what they were doing.   
  
Siegfried looked back at his comrades "You go right ahead and get started, I'll be there shortly." Arus Loire and Katherine Chambers both hesitated but followed orders vanishing upstairs. Talim breathed as she continued to stand by the unconscious Drake, she knew this was important but she wanted to put him somewhere he wouldn't get stepped on while he slept.   
  
Xianghua raised an eyebrow as Siegfried insistently dismissed them, Siegfried looked back at her able to read her thoughts through her eyes "To my knowledge, nobody here knows what happened to me between the times I went after the sword and arrived back here. You can imagine what would happen if they discovered." everybody seemed to understand him on this.  
  
Xianghua decided to get on and ask her question "You said earlier that if we gave you a little time you could tell us where the other pieces of the Soul Calibur are. How much do you know about the blade?" she asked her eyes lightly moving toward the bag she had slung over her shoulder.  
  
Siegfried brought his feet together and brought his clawed right hand to his chin while the other moved to hold the elbow, it was his normal thinking stance as one would call it "Only what I have heard, it was probably the only piece of Soul Edge's knowledge I could never tap into, all I know is that it is the only thing that can truly destroy Soul Edge." Sophitia looked at him as he began to speak, Link also listened wondering if the Master Sword truly couldn't defeat it.   
  
He continued "While any normal man made blade can shatter or break them, the Soul Edge is never truly destroyed. According to what we have managed to translate from a few scrolls found in Soul Edge's former resting place, the Soul Calibur was forged to be the exact opposite of the Soul Edge in its energies and its aura. The effect of them clashing is like a pair of cannonballs hitting each other and point blank range, if they were ever truly to be taken against one another who knows what would happen. But looking over past incidents it seems that the Soul Calibur is our only hope of ever destroying the Soul Edge." he finished up hauntingly.   
  
Xianghua now had more questions, considering these documents were found where the Soul Edge and Soul Blade were found by Cervantes there had to be more "Two more questions. Who exactly forged these different weapons and exactly how are you going to find out where the other pieces of the Soul Calibur are?" everybody looked toward Siegfried, he seemed to enjoy being the center of attention but was serious about it any way you sliced it.   
  
"We know very little about these two weapons, all we do know is that since the dawn of time mankind has used these weapons. So any information on where they came from has been lost in the course of history, all I can safely say is that they could not have been created by average mortals. As for finding it follows the same pattern as the Soul Edge, it will seek out the most powerful warrior it can find. The only difference is that it doesn't manipulate them, normally it will seek out those that only have the world's best interest in mind. Those who seek to destroy the Soul Edge." he explained.   
  
Siegfried shrugged lightly before he pointed up the stairs "We do our best to keep track of the world's most potential fighters, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of you are on the list. Going through we should be able to at least point you in a half decent direction. However chances are there will only be one in Europe which is all we can keep track of in detail." Xianghua understood this, with all the tournaments they held in Rome it would be easy to gather information on fighters.   
  
Xianghua figured that Siegfried determination is what kept Nightmare from removing the Soul Calibur blades in his abdomen "I have only one more question. The Soul Edge has healed over time but it seems we have to piece the Soul Calibur back together. What is going on?" she asked really wanting an answer to this one.   
  
Siegfried thought before shrugging "We don't have details on the Soul Calibur's powers but we have much information on Soul Edge and Soul Blade, I'll have Katherine look into that. Now if you'll excuse me." he said before giving a light bow and then stepping off. Kilik stepped over placing his hands on Xianghua's shoulders, she was the only person that had used the mysterious Soul Calibur recently. The shards of the Soul Calibur lacked the energy it had before but the Soul Edge seemed to be back to at least two thirds of its original power.   
  
Questions bombarded her mind as she continued to wonder. Why couldn't the Soul Calibur replace the energy it had lost and heal? Was there truly something that the Soul Edge had that it did not? What would happen if she were to face Nightmare again and lose?   
  
Kilik continued to rub her shoulders as she continued thinking these questions under her breath, it was hard for him to watch but it was even harder for somebody else in the room to watch both of them in this moment of closeness.   
  
Taki Moyika narrowed her eyes lightly as she watched Kilik attempt to comfort the second youngest member of their group. She sucked in a breath before she quickly turned away she had seen far too much emotion flying around with these people and it was about to drive her mad. She decided to distance herself from what she saw and headed up the stairs heading in the opposite direction of Talim and Yunsung.   
  
Many might have looked at this and wondered what it was all about, but Mitsurugi knew otherwise. She had been looking at some of them with recent since they asked her about her past in Oman. She had told him briefly about her horribly ill-fated romance from the past and could understand why seeing others could irritate her. It was unbecoming but he had learned that he should just leave her alone while she was like this.  
  
Link looked up the stairs at first wanting to confront Taki, he had been suspicious ever since she went out that night to speak with Drake. He instead walked off toward the training yard where a number of the Defenders were doing their evening practice. After moving through the door he began hearing a pair of heels next to him. He looked back to spy Cassandra following him. She smiled before speaking "I wonder how they would take it if we showed them how it was done." he smiled lightly before telling her he'd enjoy the company.   
  
The Hylian had to admit that he liked her a lot. Ever since they had met she had not once ever tried to get details on him life and had not pried either, he was honestly wondering how she felt about him. He looked at her as both a teammate and a friend, he wasn't really sure how much farther that could go but he wasn't prepared to make assumptions until everything was done with.   
  
Still it was odd. Despite how well they got along he hardly knew a thing about her life, and the only thing she probably knew was his life surrounding the Soul Edge.  
  
Link eventually came to a stop when he discovered he had walked up the stairs and was now standing with Cassandra on the wall the surrounded the fortress. He breathed before he leaned back against it, his back dragged the stone as he sat down Cassandra lightly knelt down and looked at him "Do you think Siegfried will join us?" she asked.   
  
Link shrugged lightly "There have been many in my life I could meet and read but I'm afraid I cannot give much of an answer in his case. He had been through a lot. Cassandra, I've been meaning to talk to you. Just seems that everything anybody speaks about is Soul Edge, it sickens and almost infuriates me." he explained clenching his fist in expression.  
  
Cassandra smiled before she sat down next to him "Great minds think alike, I don't think I can take anymore of the obsession that Sophie and Mitsurugi seem to be on. So what do you want to talk about?" she asked as casually as she could.  
  
Link thought for a second "For lack of a better word: You." Cassandra raised an eyebrow at this, Link chuckled "I don't know. I just think its about time that we learned more about each other, I consider you and friend but I hardly know anything about you that I haven't witnessed. Chances are you arn't exactly bursting with knowledge of myself, eh?"   
  
"Guilty." Cassandra said as she realized he was right, she began getting the urge to learn more about him as well "To tell the truth, I've been wanting to speak with a few of you guys but the only people that seem willing to open up on anything are Mina, Yunsung and Talim. As for myself, I don't know where to start." truthfully she rarely had much interaction with new people due to the fact that so many of her friends in Athens knew a great deal about her.   
  
Link thought a second before looking back at her "How about telling me about your childhood. Athens is a fascinating city, what is it like growing up there?" Cassandra thought for a moment gathering her mind before she began telling Link about her peaceful years.   
  
He in turn told her of his experiances growing up in a forest and then setting out into the world, they seemed to literally hang off one another's words.  
  
While Link and Cassandra found themselves in a long delayed talk Siegfried and company were trying their best to narrow down the already massive list of potential souls that Soul Calibur would choose. "Can't we come up with anything better than best guess?" Siegfried groaned as he looked over a list of about twenty names he only recognized a few of them however.   
  
Hwang Sung Kyung. A renowned warrior in Korea who was a higher up of the Costal Defense Force, he had taken part in a tournament while he sought Soul Edge eventually giving it up. Nathaniel William Adams. A barbarian in the lower part of the Mediterranean that Sophitia had spoke up that apparently fought against a dark sect that had kidnaped his adopted son. Li Long, he remembered this man from his own search for the sword and apparently nobody knew what happened to him. These were all in the unlikely pile and there were only two names in the pile they considered.  
  
One was the winner of three tournaments in the past five years, a mysterious man from Japan called Yugo Hitkiri. Very little was truly known about this man accept that his fighting style is not in any book and he possesses strong spiritual energy. There was also the fact that when he recieved a prize for the tournament, a shard of the Soul Edge he shattered it with a single swing of his sword pretty much expressing his hatred for the sword. Siegfried had of course never met this man but the way Arus described his fighting style he was ready to ask that woman, Taki if she knew this man. See if he was also a demon hunter or formerly of the Fu-Ma.  
  
The only other name on the list was Sophitia's who they had discounted due to the fact she obviously didn't have a piece of the Soul Calibur. He could only guess that because at the time she felt the Soul Edge had been defeated and she had no desire to fight any longer. Xianghua was another possibility but somehow she also lacked a shard of the Soul Calibur aside from those she had received from himself and a prided Nightmare. He continued to look through the tabs trying to remember anybody who would have at the time possessed such an immense urge to destroy the Soul Edge.  
  
Siegfried breathed as he backed away from the records and began walking toward the door, Katherine looked at him "I was about to tell you to get some fresh air. You look exhausted lately." Siegfried lightly smiled at his comrade's concern for him before he moved through the door heading back toward the main hall. Arus looked at Katherine and lightly chuckled, she looked at him "What?" she asked him honestly confused. Arus looked at the door Siegfried had gone through and Katherine groaned in response "Your out of your mind Loire." she said before continuing her work.   
  
Siegfried eventually found himself back on the fifth floor balcony where they had found him earlier, he breathed in the cool night air deeply and exhaled as he continued to wonder if it he should truly go after the Soul Edge. He breathed out as he leaned against the stone railing of the balcony, the wind lightly pushed against the white cotton shirt he now wore not very happy with his scars in the first place. He had essentially given up on the armor as the weight put too much strain on his arm and his ability the wield the Ziewhander had improved to the point of needing no such precaution.   
  
He looked down at the moat that was directly below the balcony and lightly sighed as his mind went over the pros and cons of going with them. His clawed right hand dug into the stone as pressed himself on this honestly having no clue of what to do, it wouldn't have been the first time but it wasn't often. He blew the air again tossing a few of the bangs that rested upon his eyebrows, he began to assume that the most current saying was true 'Lady Luck is a whore with prices beyond any man's purse.' he was beginning to take it to heart.  
  
His thoughts were cut short as he heard the sound of heeled feet walking toward him, he didn't look up instead he kept his eyes down toward his own feet. A pair of feet in Athenian sandals that stretched toward the caff appeared and it wasn't too hard for him to guess who they were connected to. He raised his head turning to look and found what he expected, Sophitia Alexandra starring over the now sleeping city of Venice. The wind lightly blew through her hair as she looked over torch lit canals and streets of the city which was a big change from the tranquility of Athens. Which he vaugely remembered.  
  
Siegfried chuckled lightly drawing the young woman's attention "Are you trying to make a habit out of following me around?" she looked back at him as he reminded her exactly how they turned out partnering up. After he had started his own journey to find Soul Edge he had encountered a warrior that wielded a large hammer and was so determined to get the sword himself he was ready to kill for it. Siegfried managed to slay him but the blade he was using at the time, Faust had been damaged and needed to be repaired. He took the thirty mile trek to Athens where he found a number of blacksmiths.  
  
He approached one in particular (who just happened to be Rothion of all people) who offered a fair price to repair the damaged sword. This was probably the first time that Sophitia had seen Siegfried, she had returned from Rome with her original weapons to have them reinforced for combat against armored advisories as she was running into a lot of them lately. At this point she hardly knew Rothion but knew that he was an excellent blacksmith and was doing very well in the business despite his age which was only a year older than her. There were also a bunch of traveling vagabonds around that all seemed to be ready to go after some sort of a big score in the north which turned out to be the Soul Edge.  
  
Siegfried spoke up telling them exactly what he had seen of the sword's power and pretty much guaranteed that they had no chance of getting their hands on it. Sophitia at first figured he was some sort of a trouble maker until he started saying how the 'sword of redemption' was not a treasure to be wielded by run of the mill fighters. They of course moved off without paying Siegfried any mind. Sophitia's sword was finished before Siegfried's and she was about to leave, but what he called the sword concerned her and she ended up confronting him on it.   
  
She attempted to convince him but he was hellbent on getting the swords for himself and destroying them, which was what would reward him with infinite redemption according to the Catholic Church. Siegfried left Athens the next morning and neither of them truly expected to see one another again but sometime later in the very city she stood now they encountered one another again both of which were attempting to escape several members of a vile cult that wished the retrieve the Soul Edge. To her knowledge it was the same ones who created Astaroth and Renzor. They both went on the side of mutual gain and decided to argue about the sword once they had it.  
  
What made her feel responsible was the fact that she had left him back at an Inn in Spain and gone after the sword alone, had she been there with him she might have been able to stop him from making such a fatal mistake. She sighed mentally at these memories. Luckily the silence was broken by a welcomed question.  
  
"You know my life as of late." Siegfried's voice brought her out of her flashback and she looked up to see him looking at her with a light smile on his face "Tell me Sophitia, tell me about your life and what it has brought you in the last four years?" he asked that friendly nature of his coming out, her presence seemed to have rejuvenated him.   
  
Sophitia smiled before she began talking "I'd hate to start on this note but after I shattered the Soul Blade I was injured by it. Luckily Taki was there to drag me back to Athens, I spent a few months recuperating and eventually managed to get back on my own feet. There were a few lasting effects of the shard but I managed to over come them accept for this one time where I lost consciousness..." Sophitia closed her eyes and a warm smile appeared on her face. Siegfried smiled as well interested in her life and urged her to continue.  
  
"As if by fate somebody else dragged me home. I knew him when I was younger but he was normally too busy in his trade but after he took me home we became much closer. If you want to put a face on him he was the same man who was repairing Faust when we first met." Siegfried lightly smiled at this before he reached down pulling up her right hand looking at a small silver ring that looped around her forth finger. Sophitia smiled at his actions "I guess there is little more to say about it. I've never been happier." she shrugged.   
  
Siegfried smiled at her before speaking again "Children?" he asked simply. Sophitia shook her head "We plan to have some once this whole mess is dealt with, but not a day goes by that I don't look forward to a family." Sophitia said with her eyes closed. Just the thought of having a family and an easy going life brought a warm feeling to her, until she realized something. Siegfried and her were awful close before they became separated, how was he taking all of this. The look of warmth vanished and she looked at him almost awaiting an irritated responce.  
  
Siegfried spoke again with a light friendly chuckle "You can probably guess that I am painfully jealous...but thats life. I'm not going to try to change things, it's good to see that it has given you love and happiness. Just remember that I'll always love you...and lets just try not to lose touch this time." he said with a smile.   
  
Sophitia giggled and then smiled at him "No worries." she said before she turned and walked away feeling that a great deal of weight had been lifted from her shoulders and her mind. Hopefully now Cassandra would stop worrying about the possible scenarios she had drawn around herself, Siegfried and Rothion. There would never be any competition over her. Just love on two different levels.  
  
Next Chapter: Heart to Heart (Part Two)  
  
Link tells Cassandra more about his life and the people who have been heavily involved in it. Talim tends to Drake's injuries while they flashback to the good old days. Mina helps Kyle sort out a few questions in his mind. And an unexpected source confronts Taki on her hopes and feelings for her missing lover.   
  
OOC: Yeah, yeah I know these information/socializing parts of the story are slow and can be confusing but I have to get a number of these things across for the sake of the story. The next part of this should give a bit of insight to the couples and the relationships. 


	36. Heart To Heart Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.   
  
Authors Note: Okay I know the last chapter was a little slow and hard to understand so I'll break it down. This is another part of the story that builds to the action, where the characters can develop without having blades swung in their face. This chapter will be a lot like the second part of the last which delves into the pasts of a few of our more mysterious characters.   
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Five: Heart to Heart (Part Two)  
  
While neither of them had any clue they were being watched Cassandra managed to lower her laughter toward Link who had just brought up one way he got back at another child called Mido during his younger years, before he discovered his path in life. Link rolled his eyes lightly "Alright so I was an immature punk in my childhood, he had it coming to him." he said as he remembered just how busted up both of them were when it was over. Cassandra however wasn't laughing at his immature actions, she was laughing at another trait they shared.  
  
Cassandra managed to stop laughing enough to speak "I wasn't laughing at you. I just can't believe I actually found another person who has enough self respect to not just people get away with that kind of stuff." she said remembering just how many fights she got into since before she could remember, due to the fact that so many knew how to hit a good number of nerves. Ironically however whenever there was a fight she always seemed to win, being more of a natural fighter than most the younger men of Athens.  
  
But in the end it was all for one reason. From the fights to the rebellious nature, it was all her way of telling people that she was not her sister, growing up in a home where Sophitia was so highly respected had really put a strain on her own life. She was constantly being compared to her no matter what. After it became painfully obvious that her parents were unable to understand her she had distanced herself and began following the temple's instructions on the Athenian style much like Sophitia had years before her.   
  
Link chuckled lightly as he explained that his problems with Mido were mostly due to a status thing, he then got back to the topic at hand "You mentioned somebody named Lucius earlier? I was wondering exactly who is he? A friend?" he asked as he leaned back against the stone wall.   
  
Cassandra giggled at this "He's my younger brother. He was born about four years after myself. He'd be with us but he is currently working with Rothion as an apprentice, and to be honest isn't much of a fighter. What about you, do you have any sisters or...?" Cassandra then noticed Link chuckling before he outright began laughing.   
  
Cassandra blinked before she crossed her arms "Now what did I say wrong?!" she shouted at Link who managed to get ahold of himself before he began asking her forgiveness.   
  
"This one terrible rumor that was created from mixed stories had me convinced for the longest time that me and Zelda might have been cousins. Being that during the war the Knight's Captain had sent his wife to get away from Hyrule and take their only son with them. They were eventually found along with the Captain (who was presumed dead) living a peaceful life on one of the southern islands. But after such confusion things were never the same again between us." he explained.  
  
It was much clearer now to her now, when Link first explained his story she had wondered why Link didn't try to interfere with Zelda's marriage to Prince Marth. Link however didn't seem at all irritated or annoyed by this memory so she decided to continue "Going back to my original question. Assuming that you don't have any sisters you know about do you have any brothers?" when Cassandra asked this both of Link's fists tightened.  
  
Link closed his eyes before taking a deep breath as if to calm a fire burning inside him, Cassandra took a step back as he leaned forward balancing his head on his hands. He began speaking "There was one man who once claimed to be my brother. It was hard to dismiss it as he looked almost exactly like me. He was a very powerful warrior and a genius in many ways..." he explained.   
  
His voice became angry as he put one fist to the floor "He was also a sadistic lunatic that was hellbent on destroying everything that the sages and I fought to protect. He isn't any kind of brother I would ever want to have." Cassandra's shock was evident as he explained this and she could see why the question made Link's blood boil.  
  
He breathed as he calmed down and looked up at her as she was standing and he still sat against the wall "Sorry Cass." he said apologizing for his outburst. She knelt down again "Its alright. I'm sorry to ask but did you ever find out if he was really your brother?" Link shook his head at this before he stood up leaning against the wall to look out over the city.   
  
"That was only what he claimed. Some think he might have ment something else by it but I don't think I'm ever going to find out. Those in an eternal sleep don't tell much." Link explained. Cassandra breathed somehow managing to feel even worse for Link, having to kill what could be his own brother. She could now see his main problem in life, he always was able to say the right thing or take on a challenge to help another. But no matter how many answers he had for others he never had any for himself.   
  
Link rolled his eyes before he began walking back toward the fortress "Don't worry about it. I gave up caring about stuff I couldn't help a long time ago. You want to see exactly what they serve around this place?" he asked her. Cassandra reached down to her abdomen remembering that they had not eaten since noon the day before leaving both of them pretty hungry.   
  
She nodded and came up next to him reached down to take her hand, he looked at her "Some things are best left unknown. It seems to be a phrase I live by." Link smiled as they both left the wall. As they walked however Cassandra looked at Link before speaking "Link you have to promise that you won't fall on us." this took the elven rather by surprise.  
  
Cassandra saw the surprise and stiffened a laugh "I know it isn't much but it is the only thing I can think of to tell you. I can't just hang around after this is over so no matter how long it takes I'm going to help you find your home. So you can't die on us." Link had been told this several times in his life and he never felt like going against it, he nodded with a smile before they continued walking.   
  
He could just barely remember exactly what happened to him after he had been struck by that monster's blast. He remembered the wind moving all around him before he struck the water bouncing off its surface, then he struck again and again and then the final time that sent him slamming into a hard surface of sorts which he remembered was the Four Blade's ship the Nightwraith. It didn't take long for him to realize that he was still alive and that he was obviously being taken care of, evidence was the soft mattress he felt supporting his back.   
  
He let out a light groan as he brought his hand up to his sweat dropped forehead which had a bandage wrapped around it, he also felt the remnants of burns on his chest obviously from the fireball. Suddenly he felt another hand snatch his gripping hard, he felt just how soft the hand was but at the same time felt the strength in the grip. "Talim?" he questioned. He felt a second hand close on the first before that familure voice that only fueled his guilt spoke out "I was beginning to think you weren't going to wake up." she said clearly relieved.   
  
Drake's eyes ached from the torchlight in the room but he slowly opened them to see the blurry image of Talim sitting right next to the bed. There were three others in the room so he assumed that whomever they had been searching for had taken them in for the night. He looked up at Talim as she gave thanks to the wind under her breath, Drake suddenly chuckled a little painfully as a memory buzzed through his mind "Remember when we used to always be in this situation?" he asked her.   
  
Talim looked up at him "You mean me always having to look after you after you did something stupid?" she recalled a sparing session that the priests had them perform on one of the mills. She missed a step and fell over the space that lead to the floor below, Drake had tried to pull her up but ended up using his back to break her fall, that was only one of many times.   
  
Drake spoke up wanting to counter this embarrassing fact "If I recall I often looked after you when you convinced me to continue sparring late into the winter nights. Ironically it was always you who got sick." Talim blushed lightly at this fact as she remembered how Drake would stay with her whenever it kept her bed ridden. Drake looked up lightly toward the torch smiling "Those were better days..." he said flashing back on how he was exiled from the village and ordered never to return.  
  
Talim looked at him as she knew what he was thinking, she squeezed his hand tighter "It wasn't your fault Drake. Just because those people came believing a target was in the village and you were exploring the same style as them doesn't mean anything!" Drake huffed as he looked away remembering what he knew about the Fu-Ma and their style, but that was not why they came to the village.   
  
While normally looking into outside styles wasn't appriciated, Drake had been looking into a great deal before he started to practice the basic Fu-Ma tactics. But not long after that he had come into contact with another scroll of arts that were considered extremely dangerous by the syndicate, and mixed with the power of the wind dance style it was a deadly combination. When they discovered that somebody in the Village of the Wind had been experimenting with this they sent out three agents to eliminate whoever it had been.   
  
The warriors of the village managed to defeat them but not before six of their own had been killed by the assassins. Drake was then dismissed from the village. What he hated the most is that despite what had happened he continued to practice this technique until he had mastered it. This came only after the Evil Seed had manifested and Talim had cured him without the villages knowledge three years ago. So now along with the Wind Dance, Fu-Ma Technique and his own self-taught ways of fighting he had this weapon hidden away.   
  
He breathed as he clinched his fist under Talim's hands "Talim listen to me. There is no way they will ever allow me to return to the village. I have broken too many of their rules for them to even consider taking me back. I attempted to break the balance they had established and other payed for it, your people were trying to keep a few of those scrolls from the world. It was a fault of mine that killed those men." he said. This earned him a sharp slap across the face.  
  
Talim looked at him clearly angry "Drake! Just listen to yourself! Your giving up without fighting back again, your running out on yourself! You wanted to be able to protect and defend the village..."  
  
Drake glared at her "Stop making up lies for me Talim! I looked into those arts because I didn't want to be second to anybody and I hated all of my little flaws being pointed out by our teachers. I became greedy and others payed for it, why can't you accept that?" he breathed heavily before he realized he had been yelling.   
  
"Because I believe in you..." Talim's voice came out hurt and weak "I believe that there is still hope for you, and I don't want you to leave me again. I'm a priestess of the wind and I believe you've suffered enough to deserve a second chance." she said before she looked down at her legs.  
  
Drake's heart now ached a great deal more than before. Not only was he forced to lie to her and hide his deception from her, but she was completely blinding herself to any possibility he was no longer that innocent little boy she used to know.   
  
Drake sat up in the bed ignoring the pain in his ribs. She looked like she was on the brink of tears but held them back, he reached out placing a hand on her shoulder "I'm sorry Talim...when this is over...we'll see how the village feels." he said with a sigh.   
  
Talim didn't look up but brought her hands up to take hold of his wrist "Drake. If your not willing to forgive yourself you have to promise me this then..." Drake listened as she looked up her eyes full and pleading "Don't die on me. Until you are ready to forgive yourself you cannot join with the wind. Do you understand me?" she asked squeezing his wrist.   
  
Drake closed his eyes and nodded his head feeling as if she was asking him to live forever "Alright Talim..." he said with a deep breath. With this said her arms reached out and hugged him tightly, he weakly hugged her back feeling even more guilt to rival Talim's great relief.   
  
Little did they know they were being watched, but it wasn't just the peering eyes of a soldier or a curious passerby. No it was the gaze of a young man that had come to resent the warm friendship between the two younger warriors. Yunsung was beginning to truly resent Drake as he displayed a closeness to Talim that he could never achieve, he turned hitting his fist on the wall before he walked away angrily. Little did he know however, Drake was fully aware of his jealousy and planned to use it to his advantage when the time came.   
  
While Talim and Drake debated over weather or not he should feel responcible for what happened all those years ago, there was another debate going on elsewhere in the fortress. The only difference was that both sides of the argument were in the mind of the ever serious Kyle Strife. Normally he had every last thought laid out before him but now he was faced with a huge question on his mind. Who should he be angry at for the death of his parents and then later his brother. The Soul Edge, Cervantes de Leon or the one that caused the Evil Seed, Seigfried Schtauffen.   
  
He remembered his words to his brother right before his life ended, he swore on his brother's last breath that he would destroy the one responsible for everything that had happened. The one responsible...the one responsible...these three words seemed to echo in his mind and it was beginning to drive him mad. He was at a loss for who was responsible at the core of it all. Cervantes might have come on his rampage through his village but it was Siegfried who took the Soul Edge, became Nightmare and ignited the Evil Seed.  
  
He slammed his fist down on the table as he came up without answers once again, the sound of his fist against the wooden table echoed through out the dining hall and he took notice that several of the other people there were looking at him. This included the likes of Raphael, Kilik, Xianghua and Mitsurugi as well as Cassandra and Link who had just arrived. Seeing that his frustration would only spawn more frustration in this place he stood up and excused himself from the room heading for the courtyard.   
  
His boots came down hard on the ground as he walked the Oblivion clicking against its sheath every step, his arms crossed firmly over his chest as he moved into the courtyard which was decorated with a number of fruit trees ironically. Kyle came to a stop and leaned against one of the pillars bringing a hand to his forehead groaning out "When did everything become so chaotic." he complained out loud.   
  
"You seem to be constantly making it that way, Kyle Strife." a tough yet feminine voice suddenly asked from behind him. He didn't move his body but simply turned his head to see Seung Mina standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, clearly she was not happy with the way he had just stormed out of the fortress. He remembered her constant warnings to him, Yunsung and Raphael to try to avoid making a scene while traveling. That it would only cause trouble and slow them down, he couldn't really relate to it her explosive attitude is what got her caught by Hwang back then.   
  
Kyle rolled his eyes before he stepped away from the wall and looked at Mina who stood there holding her beloved Scarlet Thunder as always "I thought you had already gone to bed, what can I do for you Mina?" he asked revealing that he was clearly busy with something else. Mina crossed her arms before she looked right at him which caused his body to stiffen, it was rare for Mina to ever look at somebody like that but whenever she did, she ment business.  
  
"How about dropping the tough guy act and telling me what your problem is?" she half-shouted at him swipping one arm through the air to express how upset she was "You've been acting distracted ever since we got here and it is really beginning to get under my skin, Raphael is concerned too. It isn't like you to be so distant." she pointed out as if interrogating him.   
  
Kyle breathed as he looked at the woman that stood before him. Though many people often though that they were a lot closer than they actually were he did admire her courage and determination greatly, and the way she was confronting him proved the existence of both.   
  
After a good thirty seconds of her leering right into his eyes he finally spoke up "I'm just a little unsure of a few things right now Mina. When we got here I expected to discover that our host was dead, but he is truly alive and still burning from the power of the Soul Edge. Who or what do you think is responcible for the curse that has tainted myself, Kilik, Drake and Talim?" he said in clear reference to the Evil Seed.   
  
Seung Mina now completely understood what Kyle's problem was and shook her head knowing just how much he thirsted for vengeance. He wasn't much for self redemption like Kilik had been doing the past seven years of his life, Kyle wanted to personally destroy whoever caused so much misery but was unsure of who to blame. Cervantes might have come on his rampage through Kyle's home but it was Siegfried who took the Soul Edge, became Nightmare and ignited the Evil Seed.  
  
"I blame the Soul Edge and the Soul Blade." she said flat out without any hesitation. She stepped past him and toward one of the stone benches in the courtyard, he followed her movements confused at how she could say this so easily. She leaned over closing her eyes "I've been questioning the same thing for years. It was Cervantes who killed several of my father's students and my friends who went after the sword. I blame him because he still draws breath and wishes no forgiveness. Somebody has to take him down Kyle." she said looking deeply into his eyes  
  
She then narrowed her eyes at him "I'd concentrate on Cervantes. He was the fool who took the swords from their resting place, Cervantes was the one who attacked your troupe, and it was Cervantes who allowed the swords to create the Evil Seed. Siegfried may have unknowingly set off the Evil Seed but as you saw he hates himself for it." she said. She then smirked before speaking "And if your no longer willing to take him out, I'll do it for you."   
  
Kyle crossed his arms before he smiled at Mina "Considering the last two times you went after Cervantes and the sword you were dragged home by Hwang, you'd better leave Cervantes to me." he said. Mina found herself somehow fascinated by the fact she could make Kyle smile like that but she still had to counter such an infamous insult "You just make sure I don't have to end up dragging you home in more than one piece." Kyle nodded his head at this.   
  
Mina smiled as she began walking and Kyle followed her, he looked up toward the sky which was dotted with an uncountable amount of stars "I used to look at them often, don't have the much time to do it anymore. It was a lot like this when I first met you and Yunsung." he said referring to a small tournament that was being held after midnight where he and Mina ended up in the finals after he defeated Yunsung.   
  
Mina laced one arm around his and smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder, on the outside he remained his ever stoic self but on the inside he was a little surprised "Have you ever heard the fable of how wandering souls and stars are connected?" Kyle shook his head slowly.   
  
Mina continued "The tale goes that lost souls are warriors who are defeated and wish to be avenged, the fable goes that the stars are places where these souls can wait and watch over those that wish to avenge them. So whenever I feel as if I should just drag my own self home again, I look up and feel that I am being pushed on by everybody." the way she said this seemed to only demonstrate why people of their village called her the Heart and Soul Girl.  
  
Kyle smiled at this before he looked down at the younger woman "I like that story." he said as they walked. Unbeknownst to them they were being watched by a figure up on a balcony of the eastern tower, and they were not being watched like Sophitia had been watching Cassandra and Link. No they were being watched with a great deal of contempt.   
  
Taki breathed as she turned her eyes away from the courtyard and waited for the doors that would lead back inside to close, sitting on the third floor balcony it was hard to miss anything going on but that was her problem. She had been feeling an unbelievable amount of jealousy ever since they first arrived at the fortress. It didn't matter to her that Siegfried had considered joining them, the way that Sophitia and Siegfried had reunited (even as friends) made her feel robbed.   
  
It was how she had always hoped to meet him again, that she would eventually find him and they would share the same stunned moments that Siegfried and Sophitia did. But just like ever other hope in her life, the scenario of a happy ending belonged to somebody else. She kept questioning herself, even while they were still searching for the shards of the Soul Edge, would she ever have just one happy ending to any part of her life?  
  
She wanted to curse everything she had seen since she had joined up with the White Wind in India. She wanted to curse the close friendship between Sophitia and Siegfried that had been untouched by his time as Nightmare. She wanted to curse the growing but unrealized relationship between Cassandra and Link. She wanted to curse the obvious raw love between Kilik and Xianghua. She even wanted to curse the simple sweet moment between Seung Mina and Kyle Strife. She felt terrible, like everybody was trying to throw their happiness in her face.   
  
But she knew that she would have no right to ever wish misfortune upon any of them, because she could only blame herself for how she felt now. She had never looked back at the relationship that she had with her lovely Yugo, she tried not to. And now, ever since Xianghua had asked a question out of simple curiosity of her teammate 'have you ever loved' she could think about nothing else. Questions bombarded Taki's normally sound mind without remorse...  
  
Why do I constantly avoid it?  
  
Why do I constantly avoid thoughts of him?  
  
Am I ashamed of the love we shared?  
  
Why couldn't I have at least let him know I was leaving?  
  
The normally ever serious, well collected Taki now found herself sitting on the railing of a balcony questioning a part of her life that ended over seven years ago. She reached down into one of the pockets that was in the small green kimono she had donned for the day and removed something she had been looking at ever since Xianghua had asked. The looked at the small silver disk on the silver chain which was supposed to be a necklace, the runes which were cut into the disk read out the last name of her lover: Hitkiri  
  
Taki squeezed the small disk in her hand as she brought it to her lowered forehead "Yugo...where are you? How long must I wait to know?" she questioned aloud unknowingly.   
  
"Fate has a strange way of working, always seeming to be against you while it plans." Taki's instincts snapped into action as she rolled back off the railing and twisted to face the doorway. She expected to see another one of those Fu-Ma assassins who constantly stalked her after she went renegade but she was greeted with the sight of somebody she didn't exactly expect.   
  
She swallowed lightly as she took her hand from her blade and looked back over the city "Leave me alone Link." she breath out at the misplaced elven swordsman "It is nothing that needs your attention or your concern." she said desperate to not let another aside from Mitsurugi, Sophitia or Drake know of her past.   
  
Link stepped up and leaned against the railings next to her but never looked at her, he did however reach up along side his head flicking one of his unnaturally long ears. Probably the first thing that had convinced her for the shortest time that he might have been a demon in a shoddy human guise.   
  
"These long ears are not just here to frame my face, Miss Taki. Forgive my rudeness but I heard just about everything that went on between you and Talim's friend, then later what went on between you and Sophitia. About your former master, the partner you are looking for and I'm willing to bet that the Soul Edge had a hand in ruining it all for you." it was at this point that Taki didn't know weather to lash out and hurl Link off the balcony or explain it to him as well. She decided the later option not wanting to harm him further than she did in Istanbul.  
  
She began speaking and telling her story. She told Link just about everything she could of how only a fragment of the Soul Blade had completely destroyed everything that she had worked for while in the Fu-Ma. After taking Sophitia back to Athens she used one of the Soul Blade fragments to bond it with her blade Rekki-Maru which had always been a mysterious blade. When the master of the Fu-Ma, Toki discovered this he attempted to steal the blade from her, fearing that Toki would only be poisoned by his own desire she fled from the Fu-Ma. But apparently she never told Yugo, not because she didn't want to. She just didn't want him to get involved. She didn't want any help.   
  
As Taki finished her story Link could now see exactly what made the seperation so hard, she never managed to let him know she was leaving. Link closed his eyes "You never got to tell him how much you wanted to be with him. You never got to say 'Good-bye' 'Farewell' 'Take care' or anything. You left without saying a word in an attempt to protect him, you didn't want him to get hurt over something that wasn't his concern." Link said knowing that these were her thoughts at the moment.   
  
Taki looked up at Link as he said this without ever having to even look at her, she couldn't believe how this creature from another world had managed to read her like a book. It was like she was a book in his language that she at times couldn't understand and he had read her perfectly.   
  
"I was a fool back then. It was more his concern than anyone else's, he had a right to know and against my heart I left him alone in bed before I set out. Prepared to never see him again." Taki looked up as Link rested one hand on her shoulder, her hand moved to be placed over his appriciating his wish to help her "Your too kind for your own good, that why you remind me so much of him." she breathed out with a smile.   
  
Link gave a similar smile "You're a strong woman Taki and you now seek to destroy this curse on the world before it can harm you or anybody else. Fate has a strange way of working, but something tells me that in time it will be very much in your favor." he said before he started to walk away before he turned back to look at her "Trust me on that." he said before he opened and closed the door behind him.   
  
Taki turned around and looked back over the courtyard toward the city of Venice able to look back to the days when she was still a middle rank of the Fu-Ma, when she was still with him. She breathed as she thought about Link "Perhaps he truly has come from a place untouched by this worlds vile nature..." she said knowing she'd have to thank Link in some way. She turned stepping back towards the door but looked at the sky "Yugo, where ever you are you'd better be waiting for me too." she said before vanishing through the door.   
  
Next Chapters: (Undecided)  
  
Raphael gets a rough flashback from a questioning Yunsung before everybody retires for the night. The next morning they receive a disturbing theory on why the Soul Calibur lacks the ability to heal, but Siegfried seems to have gone missing in the meantime. Does he plan on joining them or will he go on his own? Also what will happen when Isabella Valentine regroups with the mysterious Arus'Nei.   
  
OOC: I'm going to go ahead and give a spoiler that somebody is going to die within the next three chapters and if you read through this one you can probably tell who the possibilities are. I have three ideas of where this story can turn. Exciting, isn't it? But unless you review you won't see where it goes! 


	37. Back On The Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay this chapter pretty much ends all the conversation, off mission stuff as they are about to get back on the road but a few things will be discovered first that are essential to the story. Also as far as the whole character dying thing goes...death is only an assumption. How many characters have come back from the dead in the series already?  
  
PROFILES: Black Wind Forces Added. Information on Orcs, Uruk-hai, Lizardmen, Berserkers, etc. can now be found at the dedicated site. The address is in my user profile.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Six: Back On The Journey  
  
Yunsung couldn't sleep despite his attempts he was having no luck since he saw the kind of friendship that Talim and that accursed Drake shared, he could never match that and it was mocking him. It wasn't long ago that he had returned to the room to find the two of them still going on but being joined by the only other person using the room, Link. Even he seemed to be closer to Talim than he could grasp and it was clear as the day they were no more than friends which could be seen.   
  
Many of the others had taken to their rooms, four in each one. The groups had devided themselves accordingly and he was supposed to be sharing a room with Kyle, Mina and Raphael, while the Athenian sisters were sharing a room with Taki and Mitsurugi. The love birds, Xianghua and Kilik were staying in another room by themselves obviously both of them wanted to review what they knew about the mission, Yunsung scoffed pretty sure that there were other things on their minds.   
  
At nearly two in the morning he found himself wandering aimlessly around the fortress constantly getting request from the guards to get some rest but he knew it would be a vain attempt as the only thing on his mind was how to get Talim to at least consider him more than just an ally. If she and Drake had something going on he didn't want to play such a role as to attempt to steal her away, he just wanted to know exactly what Drake had that he did not. He just wanted Talim to see him as a friend and not an ally.  
  
Sure they had clashed once or twice over their differing views before they ran into one another at Istanbul and Kyle volunteered them into this mess but he expected that over two months of traveling together would at least make her consider that people changed. He sighed lightly to himself as he continued to walk wondering if he should just come out and apologize for being so aggressive to her views and her culture the first time they met.   
  
Yunsung thoughts were cut short as he stumbled over something and then fell to the stone floor, he looked back to see he had tripped over one of those cheap wooden chairs. He was in the dining hall of all places "Are you sleep walking again Yunsung? Or are you trying to catch your shadow?" a familiar smug voice asked. He looked up to see Raphael sitting at one of the tables missing a few articles off his normal cloths, probably due to the warmer climate. (second costume minus the beard)   
  
Yunsung rolled his eyes as he looked up at him "Doesn't anybody from Europe sleep?" he asked referring to the guards and other workers at the fortress. Raphael lightly yawned before speaking "I already slept all I'm going to be able to so I'm just waiting for the sun, what are you doing up at this ever silent hour?" he asked.   
  
Yunsung breathed. Ever since they had allowed Raphael to join them he had been really good to all of them and constantly knew how to solve a problem, though at times it was in a militaristic way. Raphael didn't need Yunsung to speak as he practically read his mind "One mistake so many people make is letting their mind be dominated by a particular thought or question. For your own good I'll hear you out." he said.  
  
Yunsung without much hesitation sat down on one of the stools across from the table Raphael sat, he could trust this man not to spread anything embarrassing. "I know it may seem a little stupid to somebody like you, but have you ever liked somebody only they could see you as anything more than an acquaintance or something?" Raphael blinked still contemplating the first part of his question. Yunsung started to stand "Never mind, its my problem."  
  
"Sit back down." Raphael said out all of a sudden. Yunsung looked back and did as he was told Raphael then began to speak "Don't think that I am so serious that I have never harbored feelings for another person, I've felt deeply for some but not many. My advice to you is that if you want Talim to forgive you for being such a brat just tell her that you want a fresh start and ask if you can be friends." Yunsung was now pretty shocked as the senior member of the Four Blades read him like a book.   
  
Yunsung jumped up from his seat slapping his palms on the table and looking right at the Frenchman "How in the Hell did you do that?" Yunsung asked as Raphael just sat there chuckling. Raphael looked up "I compared your actions around Talim to my actions around somebody when I was your age, the wish to be accepted by the fairer sex is truly annoying I know." he said as he took a long drink from the cup of water in front of him.  
  
Everything that Raphael said made a lot of sense to him but now he found himself asking a question that a part of him told him not to ask "Who was she?" Raphael stopped in mid-drink and placed the cup down looking at Yunsung as he repeated himself "Who is worthy of your attention Sorel?" Raphael found himself stuck between the fact that Yunsung had already trusted Raphael with his secrets.  
  
Raphael then began to speak "Back before when my family was still part of the nobles of France many families began to occupy the country when it became a large business area. There was this one family that collected art and wanted to do business with my father who was still selling out to the other nobles. There was a daughter with my father's business associate and while they discussed prices we tried to escape the atmosphere in our homes. I was around sixteen at the time and she was probably the first person I actually took seriously."   
  
Yunsung rolled his eyes before speaking "I can just imagine you settling down with some properly raised rich girls. It would suit you well..." "When did I say that she was a frail spoiled rich girl. She was a tomboy if there ever was one, she lived her life to the fullest but at the same time was not a disrespectful brat. And she could take care of herself, managed to beat me just about everytime we sparred. Ten to one says that even if she has kept to her training down anybody with a rapier."  
  
He lightly raised his glass before "About two years later, she got on a boat and moved back to England and out of my life around the same time the inside war between the nobles and the peasants started. Love is a game I have never been able to play a winning role at, make sure your cards are in line before you leave yourself open to it." he said before he stood up and left the hall. Yunsung breathed as he figured he'd put his advice to use and while he was at it he'd apologize to Drake as well. For resenting him after he had put himself out for them more than once.  
  
Morning soon came to the fortress and after taking the time to prepare themselves every one of the warriors found themselves prepared to leave, still without word from Siegfried. While still weary from sleep Katherine Chambers had requested that they come and meet her and Arus Loire in the library where they had been with Siegfried up until the wee hours researching the possible owners of a Soul Calibur shard and also looking into the questions Xianghua had asked.   
  
A number of them sat around the library while Sophitia, Xianghua and Kilik stood listening intently as Katherine began to speak "Sorry we must see you off so soon but we have to continue planning our own operations, we cannot have outsiders around while we do so. Either way I just got word from the docks that your ship has been repaired and give supplies, it should be enough to get you to England. Now back to the question at hand, I'm afraid we didn't manage to figure out why the Soul Calibur isn't healing itself but we did find quite a bit of history on the blades."  
  
Katherine then removed a scroll from the table which bore the mark of the Catholic Church on it "This is probably the earliest known history on the conflict between the blades. Siegfried would probably know more but he left earlier on some personal business." she opened the scroll and collected her thoughts before she began reading.   
  
"As history states, three blades of extraordinary power were created by a pair of opposing entities while the world was still but an infant. One sword to serve the spirit and the soul, the Soul Calibur. And a pair to serve the body and the mind, the Soul Edge and Soul Blade. While the creator of the Soul Calibur used his blade to defend the growing world, the other used his blades to cause disaster and ruin. The creator of the Soul Calibur created something else to aid him, its name has however been lost in history and has apparently been lost to this world." Xianghua was lightly shocked, the Soul Calibur had a sister sword.  
  
Katherine continued reading from the scroll "When the two of them eventually came face to face and confronted one another there was a battle that marked the beginning of human conflict. The two entities however only managed to destroy one another and on their last breath seal themselves within their weapons. The spirit of the dark one went into his blades and the other went into his own swords, both of them near death even for practical God they needed to recover but those of the ancient world felt it better not to allow them."   
  
Sophitia looked at Katherine "Whatever did they do?" "They scattered all three of the blades and this forth item as best as they could, but not in the physical world. Using power we can no longer grasp they opened a tear into the void and hurled all four of the weapons into the void hoping never to see them again.. That is how history goes. But it seems that somehow all three blades have made it back here. Odd how things work out."   
  
Katherine lowered the scroll and then spoke "These weapons come from forces beyond human control and there is probably something much deeper in this. Of course for deeper information you'd probably have to ask Nightmare, something I don't suggest." she breathed before speaking "I wish I could be of more help but I'm afraid there is little I can tell you that would help in your progress. Please be off now, we've done all that we can." Katherine then began collecting the materials from around the room.   
  
It wasn't long before the White Wind and the Four Blades had completely cleared out of the fortress all of them with less information than they wanted. Sophitia was somewhat depressed as it was apparent that Siegfried had decided not to come with them, she wished he had at least told her good-bye or something though. She brushed it off as they came toward the docks all of them walking at a calm pace, all accept for Yunsung who seemed to be a little tired. She ignored it as it wasn't her problem and continued walking but then came to a stop right as they reached the Eternal Wind.   
  
Her eyes caught that silhouette that had left her speechless and disbelieving twice in the last twenty-four hours. This time however she broke through it enough to know it was none other that Siegfried Schtauffen sitting on the railing of the Eternal Wind apparently having a casual chat with the grateful Maxi. He now wore black pants and a white shirt still lacking the familiar armor but for some odd reason he did have that massive sword of his poking into the deck. Without much hesitation she marched up the gang plank and shot a glare right at him, he just smiled however.  
  
"Figured you would have guessed I was coming. I'm a little disappointed." he chuckled lightly leaning against his sword, the Requiem. Sophitia breathed at his sarcasm that was quickly beginning to replace the angry irritation that she first witnessed in him. He then looked at her "If you seek to hunt down Nightmare or the shards of the Soul Calibur, I will go with you. I don't think its going to matter in the end but I'm going to do anything I can." Sophitia nodded her head at this "Its good to have you with us, but to be truthful we have no clue of where to go." she admitted.  
  
Siegfried breathed as he stood to his feet and stepped to the mast leaning against it, everybody else in turn climbed the gangplank as they could tell he was about to tap into his great wisdom stolen from Soul Edge. Siegfried looked up "I know where we need to go, Maxi needs to set a course for England. Narrowing it down I know of a person who at the time of the Soul Calibur's destruction wished for nothing more than the Soul Edge's death but first I might know what the flaw in the Soul Calibur is..." he began speaking.  
  
"As Katherine told you the three blades were sent into the void, but those two accursed blades must have been linked so heavily they found their way back and right into the hands of a mortal. The Soul Calibur must have acted out a predestined role by constantly finding its way into the hands of somebody to fight the swords." Xianghua looked up as this was said "Which would explain why it just appeared in my hands when Nightmare attacked me all those years ago." Siegfried's still human hand brushed over his scar as she spoke "Yes."   
  
"Now I'm sure that Katherine told you of how the spirit and soul of their masters went to the weapons. But when Sophitia broke the Soul Blade the balance of the entity's spirit all went to the Soul Edge and its power grew. While the Soul Blade is still powerful it is nothing more than a shell now, it does not have the power of its master to back it up." Kyle lightly smiled at this, it would only make his revenge easier to obtain without a blade that could tempt him.   
  
Link suddenly spoke up "What about this forth item Chambers kept bringing up? What exactly is it?" he asked wondering if it could be one of the several powerful yet pastless relics from his world.   
  
Siegfried shook his head with a shrug "We still to this day know nothing of it, all we know is it was definately not another sword, it was shield or piece of armor made to protect the soul. But we have hypothesized that when the Soul Calibur was shattered the spirit was either divided among the pieces or all gathered in the hilt. But that is only our most positive theory." he explained.  
  
Xianghua was fed up with this, it was hard enough to follow as it was "What else could have happened?! Tell us?!" Siegfried huffed irritated "Alright, but you won't like it. Considering the facts that this forth item was created to protect the soul from being devoured, we fear that if the Soul Edge did indeed pierce the master of the Soul Calibur his spirit might have gone to the sword while his very soul became imprisoned in the forth item and we have no records of ever coming upon something that could make a mere mortal so pure." he said really rubbing in how bad this scenario could be for them.   
  
Katherine was right, she didn't like this theory and she felt like covering her ears as she continued "You've all heard of spirit swords right? When a warrior dies and entrusts his or her spirit into a blade it flows with their strength and power. But the soul of these two entities is what would give the blades living attributes such as healing and the ability to communicate. If the Soul Calibur does not have its master's soul within it then Nightmare has an enormous advantage. And being that Soul Edge has no knowledge of where it could be, it is more than likely not in our world." Xianghua looked to the deck clinching her fist along with Kilik "Damn it all." she murmured.  
  
Raphael looked around seeing all the deep thinking going on and after Yunsung just the night before he didn't need this "Alright let just think about this later. Worst case scenario we have to find all the pieces to Soul Calibur. Best case scenario, we find the hilt and the sword has regrown from that." everybody seemed to nod in agreement of Raphael much to Siegfried's relief.   
  
Sophitia then turned to Siegfried "Alright. You say that you know exactly who might possess a fragment of the Soul Calibur, how do you know this?" Siegfried looked toward Xianghua and then turned and pointed north with his demonic hand, Xianghua's eyes shot up lightly as she felt it out "I can feel its presence. Its so clean and pure, the exact opposite of Soul Edge. Maxi set a course for England I'm pretty sure it is there like he said." Maxi nodded as he began releasing the ship.   
  
Siegfried was then approached by Kyle Strife "You seem pretty sure of yourself. How do you know for a fact that this man wished for nothing more than to destroy the Soul Edge? Tournament records?" Siegfried shook his head at this "Not a man. A woman. I know because I met her and she clued me in on exactly how much she hated the blade. It was after I first started out after the blade and was gathering information on it, I suspected that she would have had to be my savior in the event that I truly did lose my mind to it."  
  
Maxi chuckled lightly before speaking "This chick have a name kid?" he asked. Siegfried brought a hand to his chin before speaking "I believe her name was Isabella Valentine, the daughter of Count Valentine. She claimed that after her father blew off quite a bit of money hunting the sword he kind of lost it before his death. At the time she wished for nothing more than its destruction and was experimenting in arcane magic." all of them nodded aside from Raphael who found himself a little distracted which quickly became noticed by Yunsung.   
  
"Is this Ms. Valentine who I think she is?" he asked Raphael with a light snicker. Raphael rolled his eyes before running a hand over his face as others took notice "This world is become a god awfully small place. If it would please you all allow me to go with you, weather or not she will give up the shard to you it would be nice to see her again." Siegfried nodded as they began to pull out. The Four Blades moved, returning to their ship while the other began situating themselves. Drake meanwhile moved to the front of the ship unable to believe that none of them knew that Isabella Valentine was Ivy of the Black Wind...as well as his master on word of honor.  
  
While the seekers found themselves joined by another companion and were cleared of where they were to go next, nefarious forces had already arrived and seemed to be making plans to intercept them before they got through. After a few weeks of travel the ship called the Darkthrone had arrived off the coast of a peninsula that was off the coast of England carrying a payload of the Black Wind's strike forces. All of them ready to do as they were ordered, but they weren't exactly excited about creating an ambush around the home of the Black Wind's third commander.   
  
It was a nostalgic feeling for the Lady of the Black Wind, Isabella Valentine as she found herself returning to the place she had spent her childhood and early twenties. It was the place where she had created her sword and made several attempts to destroy it. It was also the place where Nightmare first came into her life and convinced her to join him in his plans to take over every living soul on the face of the planet. Though it had been requested that the Black Wind send forces to this place she was really not so sure about how much confidence could be placed into it.   
  
Being that the Nemesis had headed out to open sea so it could get around to Germany and stay out of sight, she felt a little more relaxed with the likes of Renzor and Razorback in her company as she knew that the White Wind would soon arrive. The Soul Edge had already picked up the presence of another Soul Calibur shard located in the ancestral mansion of the Valentine Clan. Though she had no problems retrieving it upon entering the mansion, however she was also supposed to stay and make sure the White Wind ran into trouble.   
  
After they had managed to dock the Darkthorne at the bluff at the bottom of the peninsula she and a few of the lizardmen entered the house and settled in while the Uruk-Hai had been sent into the caverns that ran under the mansion. After all of this she was not to thrilled that she had to set up an ambush in such a place. To her it was a structure that showed both the legacy and ruin of the Valentine family that was not ment as a battleground. Sadly sacrifices had to be made. Renzor seemed to bring her concerns to his men's attention as did Razorback. Ivy however had something else on her mind.  
  
Shortly after their arrive she found herself reading a note that had been delivered to them by the Azure Nightmare's unnamed black hawk. It told her that when the White Wind arrived to retrieve the Soul Calibur shard, she was to make sure that one of the Soul Edge's two biggest threats did not return to the battle field ever again. Cervantes, who was also with them had also requested the removal of another if fate gave her such an opportunity but not one of the three would be easy to just stab in the back, but the note also had another piece of information.  
  
Drake had long surpassed his time limit and he was not where he said he would be. Anubis had already attempted to track him down but had come up with nothing and it was apparent that he had abused her trust and run out on them. Officially, he was now a target as well having betrayed their trust and taken a small piece of the Soul Edge. She hated that she would now have to be on the look out for him being that she actually had some respect for the boy. She had worried about this long into the night and found herself still wondering why he had not returned at midnight.  
  
She found herself back in her bedroom while Renzor's tribe mates were scattered, being that they were a great deal more sanitary than the Uruk-hai she had allowed them entrance. Her father however had stayed on the ship as she refused to allow him entrance to the mansion until the White Wind arrived to retrieve the shard of the Soul Calibur which she held. She had discovered it to be a key item in the blade, the handle and a part of the hilt which was needed to reconstruct the blade, they would need this before they could threaten them with it. She wondered if Nightmare felt foolish about his gift in the desert.  
  
Ivy laid back in her bed which was still ready for her, Valentine lay with its blade wrapped around her as if her weapon was embracing her of all things. She was worried about so many things and it was beginning to irritate her. Between Drake leaving, her birth father still attempting to win her over to his side against Nightmare there was one thing that still got to her. That apparent dark side of the one called Link that had come to them offering his services, he called himself Dark Link and said that he would be waiting for Link as well. She wondered if it had happened yet.   
  
Her thoughts were disturbed as the Valentine grew to attention and curled out from under her body to form into its blade as if it was going on its guard. Ivy came to attention throwing the covers of her bed off and standing up, for once she was not wearing a uniform or any kind of armor. The only thing that adorned her body was a smallish white nightgown made of silk, pillaged on one of the Black Wind's many raids. It also left her bare footed but she felt perfectly capable of fighting in such unworthy attire.  
  
She left her room stepping out into the halls that had been lit with a candle every few steps. She breathed as she closed the door behind her and looked around the hall admiring the rose pattern on the wall but kept in attention as that knocking sound continued to echo through the halls. She followed the sounds and her sword toward the main area of the entire mansion which was the large hall just past the foyer.  
  
As she walked forward into the main hall which was lined in white and rose marble, she took notice that the sound had stopped. She breathed as she looked around the familiar house, it had set the stage for so much of her life. From her childhood and schooling to her teen years and growing up to face life. It was a small world but this place had always been a high part of hers and now it would set the stage for her objective: Luring in the White Wind and eliminating either the Elven, the Athenian or the Four Blade's leader.  
  
It was surprising that there were no people living in the mansion when they arrived. She entered first thinking that if that had been the case they would have to be taken out of the picture, but she dropped that theory when she saw everything in its place. There was even a thin layer of dust coating most of the main hall. She lightly wondered if anybody knew what had become of her in the she vanished and joined the Black Wind. It wasn't like anybody would expect Isabella Valentine to be Ivy.   
  
Her thoughts were broken as she heard a single knocking sound from the rafters that were above, still visible due to the fact they were remodeling the house when the family's funds ran dry. She looked straight up drawing out the Valentine and was greeted by the sight of a familiar silhouette that was leaning against one of the vertical rafters. A figure looked down at her almost mocking the stance she had taken "Step down!" she shouted before she stabbed the blade straight up. It darted out in its multiple segments looking to strike down the offender that sat above her.  
  
With a great amount of agility the invader of the Valentine Mansion moved from the rafter dropping down toward the floor, Ivy swung the whip down ready to draw the man in half. He swiped a blade of his own which was quickly torn from its sheath to slap Valentine away before his feet touched down. The temptress reacted quickly pulling the weapon back before swinging it at her attacker. The invader reached behind his back producing a shield which caused the Valentine to go wide and strike the floor, he then rushed at her.   
  
Ivy recalled the blade and then swung it hard hoping to get it around his body and tear him up but he was too fast and was quickly in her face. He swung out with his sword which was gripped by his left arm which she ducked under but this was her falling as it only came back to have its edge strike her. A foot before her own caused her to stumble but before her chest could hit the floor she twisted around and swung her blade. The whip like sword wrapped around her attacker its sharp edges getting into his cloths but this was only after he had knelt and brought the blade of his sword to her throat.   
  
There was a tense moment of silence as Ivy starred up at her attackers deep red eyes which only seemed to exist to counter her own icy blue pupils, both of which were revealed by the light around the main hall. She breathed as she gripped her weapon, it would take no more than simply willing the blade to retract and he would be covered in some pretty bad lacerations that would never heal completely. She could not see him clearly through the shadows but had a pretty good idea of who this was.  
  
A chuckle escaped the lips of her attacker and she looked to see the slightly shorter figure of the infamous Dark Link whom she figured would not have arrived yet. Dark Link chuckled as he looked down at her "Must you always attack me with this weapon, do I truly scare you that much?" he asked in his own sadistic way pulling back his sword. Ivy smirked before she recalled her weapon which left his body without leaving so much as a scratch "Must you always sneak up on me like that?" she countered him looking away as if she was insulted, clearly she did not trust this man yet.  
  
Dark Link shook his head before reaching down to pull her to her feet which slightly surprised her, her bare feet slid against the marble of the floor and she ended up against his chest. She quickly stood to her feet and tried not to show any embarrassment, she then noticed a chuckle from him "I can't say I don't enjoy your new sense of style." he said looking at the night gown. Unable to help herself she allowed a giggle to escape her lips "Your terrible shadow boy." she said before she brushed herself off and stepped toward a pair of chairs near an unlit fireplace in the corner.   
  
He followed her as she sat down and followed suit looking at her as she looked back at him "You've come a little later than I expected you too." she pointed out. The ash skinned warrior looked at her before speaking "Unlike your group I don't have a great amount of resources, and passing through towns your kind seem to enjoy starring at my differences." he said flicking one of his ears. Ivy smirked at him as he pointed this out, but then she decided to get down to business and asked how he managed to get into the mansion.   
  
Dark Link looked back towards the main doors "You can come out now Pirate." he commented toward the doorway. Ivy narrowed her eyes before she snapped out her sword and stabbed toward the door. The blade struck the wall and the blades glowed revealing the figure that was Cervantes, apparently having followed her from the Darkthorne.   
  
Cervantes's immortal eyes met with his daughter's before he gave a light huff "Forgive me for being cautious. There are very few that I trust within the company of my offspring." he said in reference to Ivy who dismissed it as if it was a joke or a white lie. The shadow of Link chuckled from where he sat while Ivy seemed relatively angry at Cervantes' presence in her home.  
  
Cervantes decided to just get to business unable to stand the leers from his own daughter "I've already told him why we are here and he has agreed to join the Black Wind only if a few conditions are met. He'll be discussing them with you." Cervantes then turned and he moved to leave the mansion "I'll return to the ship and let them know that the mansion is secured, and don't let your sentimental rubbish get in the way of this opperation." Cervantes shouted before slamming the door behind him.   
  
Ivy had stood up glaring at the doors as she was called to defend herself but only managed to stand there clinching her fist, had it not been for the fact he had the Soul Blade she would have attempted to end his life long ago. Her anger was suddenly replaced by a decent amount of surprise as she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders rubbing ever so softly, she looked back to see the one she was to work with attempting to comfort her. He then spoke "That fools thirst for power is going to bring all of you down in the end. Out of all of you he will be the first to fall."  
  
Ivy normally would have turned and struck anybody else away but she was interested to hear what he was getting to "I would like nothing better. He has caused me nothing but misery since I even learned that he existed in this forsaken world." she said as she felt a great deal of tension vanish as this creature's touch. He spoke again in his ever smooth voice "Powerful men always allow their greed to dominate them, this domination is always their downfall, I've seen it many times before." he said with a chuckle.   
  
Ivy lightly rolled her shoulders against his hands before she move to take a seat back in the patted chair although he continued trying to rub her stress away. While she enjoyed this she decided to get to business "By what standards are you willing to help us Shadow Boy?" she asked. The shadow leaned down behind her bringing his lips to her ear "Don't take this personally but I want you to stay out of my way. When Link arrives with his pathetic little band you will allow me and him to fight on equal grounds." Ivy reached back grabbing the back of his neck "Tell me more."  
  
"Link may be a highly skilled warrior and has seen a great deal of challenge in his life but he does have a fair number of weaknesses. In exploiting these weaknesses I can bring out his true ability and power, only then will my existence seem worth while." he explained in a serious tone allowing his hands to rest on her shoulders.   
  
Ivy looked back at him before speaking "Just so you know I have been ordered to destroy him should I come across him but I will gladly allow you to have the first blow at him. Should you fail I will intervene. That is only if I cannot find another suitable target." she explained.   
  
"Agreed." he dark swordsman said before he began to walk away, Ivy turned around to look at him "Good...but I have one more request." he looked back at her requesting she name it "I want to know the true name of the one I make a pact with." the shadow of the elven swordsman closed his eyes and smirked before speaking "My apologies, call me Arus'Nei." he said before he stepped back towards the stairs vanishing into the shadows.   
  
Ivy breathed before she reached into a fold of her night skirt removing a piece of silver blue metal with made the shape of a swords handle, it was the hilt of the Soul Calibur and what they would be coming for. She had her mind not only set on her three targets but the eminent battle between these two twins.  
  
Next Chapters: Conflict By Blood  
  
Upon arriving at the home of Count Valentine an ambush of the Seekers slowly unfolds as a daughter confronts the boy that hunts her father's blood and the carrier of light must fight with the shadow that claims him as his brother. Conflicts are never simple and when two are made enemies from either blood or flesh, it is something that cannot be avoided.  
  
OOC: First off let me go ahead and point out that nobody in the White Wind or Four Blades knows Ivy as Isabella Valentine. So they think they are going to visit some heiress or something. Also if you cannot tell yet I am going to be delving into my personal answers to several frequently asked questions which are as follows:   
  
Who/What exactly is Inferno?   
  
What is his purpose and why is he trapped in SE?   
  
Is there a second SC to go against a second SE?  
  
What is the relationship between SE and SC?   
  
If Inferno is SE essence, then who/what is SC's?   
  
These questions have bothered me and I hope to answer them in this story. But please don't take it seriously because officially these questions really have no answers. 


	38. Conflict By Blood

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay here is how it all goes down. They are back on the journey and have arrived but within the next two chapters an important character to the story will die or go missing.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Conflict By Blood  
  
It had taken them nearly a few days to get information and quite a bit of navigation but only two weeks after leaving Venice the groups of the White Wind and the Four Blades found themselves facing the rocky bluff that lead up to the Valentine Manor, which was built on a peninsula of the same name. Both ships had taken the time to dock near the beach just down a long hill from the mansion. This left only a steep trek towards the mansion where the apparent shard of the Soul Calibur still rested even after four years. Raphael had made mention that Count Valentine wouldn't let something such as that to just be sold.  
  
More had happened between the groups in the past two weeks as well, for one Siegfried had managed to become a little more familiar with Sophitia's sister, the elven swordsman, the demon huntress, and the leader of the Four Blades who's lust to destroy Cervantes disturbed him somewhat. There also seemed to be even more blooming between Link and Cassandra than could meet the eye but the young knight could easily see that both were far too coy to just admit anything to one another, unlike the outspoken Kilik and Xianghua. He was however curious as well.  
  
Isabella Valentine wished to bring a custom made snake sword to life, she wanted to create a blade with a life of its own to obey her. He had also heard of the ever seductive temptress who called herself Ivy who, according to Arus Loire used a living sword that seemed to work off whatever she willed upon it' he had heard a few things and done a little research but could come up with nothing definite to place Isabella and Ivy as one and the same or two different people with similar weapons. He just hoped to God that Nightmare had brought another blade to life just to spite his earlier actions.  
  
"Are we ready to set out yet? I want to meet this woman." Siegfried's thoughts were divided as Sophitia suddenly spoke up to the rest of the group that were gathered up on the deck. Taki seemed to nod in response "Xianghua is still feeling that the shard is in the mansion, maybe she knows even more than we do about it." everybody seemed to by hyped about meeting Isabella Valentine, this worried Siegfried to no end. He had also taken note of a few nostalgic expressions that found their way upon the young Drake's face.  
  
Siegfried finally spoke up as he felt an all too familiar chill in the air his voice loud enough for both ships to hear him "There is something fell in the air, we should be careful from this point on. Somebody should stay behind." he insisted. It might have just been his nerves but he could almost taste de Leon's foul energy in the air he breathed. They would have to split into groups as he wasn't willing to leave the ship all by its lonesome. Siegfried looked toward Sophitia "Choose your people and we'll start out." he said.  
  
It was pretty obvious that Sophitia and Siegfried were going, Cassandra was also going to follow Link who wanted to known anything he could about the Soul Edge. Kilik and Xianghua also agreed to follow suit after being invited. Raphael Sorel stepped from the Nightwraith followed by both Seung Mina and Kyle Strife who wanted to accompany him. This essentially left Talim, Drake, Maxi, Taki and Mitsurugi to guard the Eternal Wind. Jack, Yunsung and Naoyuki seemed to be capable of watching over the Nightwraith while the others set foot on the beach.  
  
"I hope they will be okay." Drake looked to his right as Talim said this in her small worried voice, Drake looked at her before nodding as if to assure her they would be fine. It was a lie and he knew it. After spending well over three months at the side of it's master, the former wind charmer could pick up the aura of the Valentine blade from over a mile away. He was holding back the obvious from them that the woman they sought after was no longer Isabella Valentine, she was now Ivy the third commander of the Black Wind. They were walking into a trap and he knew it all too well. My the winds forgive my cowardly soul...  
  
After managing to hike up the slope of the hill, the group of nine people came upon the courtyards of the looming Valentine Estate that rested near the edge of the high peninsula, the view it offered of the ocean was truly a marvel to behold along with the gardens that seemed to have become overgrown. Raphael took the liberty of opening the gates and entering the courtyard where several rose bushes had become lined up, they didn't appear to have ever been cut back but had grown very naturally. Just the thought of being able to reminisce with somebody he actually admired made even the stone cold Raphael somewhat exited.  
  
He stepped to the door and after a moment of hesitation struck it three times with the side of his fist, he however received no sort of reply. He did it again before huffing lightly, he could see how the house was in disrepair and could only guess she had moved on in life, but from what Xianghua said earlier on the ship there was definately a shard present. He reached out and gave a sharp yank on the door finding that it was bolted from the other side, now this was a problem. He sure didn't want to be reunited as an intruder of her home.  
  
"Step back." a voice said, Raphael looked back to see that Siegfried had brought out his sword and held it down at his side. The master of the Sorel clan gave a swift curse before getting out of the massive blade's line of impact.  
  
They all watched from the sides as Siegfried Schtauffen once against displayed his unparallel strength by swinging down the Requiem to split down between the doors creating a cracking sound followed by the sound of clattering metal from the other side. Siegfried then lowers his sword and pushed the doors open shedding light upon the dusty main hall that had received very few glimpses of the sun in the last seven years. This included the facts that all the windows had black drapes drawn over them.  
  
Raphael sighed as he ran a glove hands over his forehead and then looked up "Please do not be alarmed! We only wish to speak with the mansion's master!" Xianghua shouted out through the main hall despite the fact there was nobody to be seen. Raphael took a quick observation of the hall before looking to the younger Chinese girl "You've little to fear. Look at the dust on the, its been more than a few years since anybody set foot in this house. Seems they never knew that a piece of the sword arrived here." Xianghua nodded lightly.  
  
Cassandra looked up at Raphael "Well where are we supposed to start? This place is enormous and for all we know it could even be stabbed into the roof or something. After all it did probably fall from the sky." she said. The Frenchman brought one hand to his chin thinking on this, that is until Sophitia spoke up.  
  
"We'll have to search the place. Myself, Siegfried, Cassandra and Link will search the second floor." Sophitia announced and the other two humans of the group nodded by Link seemed preoccupied with something else.  
  
Xianghua exchanged a few words with Kilik before speaking up "We'll see if we can find the attic. If it did fall from the void and strike the roof that is the most likely place it would be." Xianghua explained. It made sense to everyone, considering both of them were very lithe and from the descriptions of Kilik's training they were probably the only one's present who were qualified to climb such heights.  
  
Kyle gave a wordless look to Mina before she spoke "We'll search over the first floor. If somebody hid it, it couldn't be too far." she said before they two of them head through two doors into the dining room. Raphael took a breath before he looked at the rest of the group "I think I'll take a look around the back of the house." he said before heading down the long main hall toward the back where he vanished through a pair of doors.  
  
Cassandra watched as Kilik and Xianghua stepped ahead of them heading up the stairs first obviously heading toward the third floor which wasn't really even needed considering how large the main hall was. A few rooms from the second floor looked down at them from above. Once Kilik and Xianghua had vanished from view she looked to see that Siegfried and Sophitia were ready to begin moving but then she noticed something else. Link was not among them.  
  
He sat in the far corner of the room near the stairs sat down in one of the chairs with one hand brought upon his forehead as if he was in pain, Cassandra moved over to him as a few drops of sweat came down his cheeks. She placed on hand on his shoulder grabbing his attention "Are you alright, whats wrong?" she asked as she saw him try to fight an uncomfortable expression.  
  
He spoke after a few moments of silence as if thinking for the right words "I think I was out in the sun too long. Just give me a few moments and I'll catch up to you." he explained keeping his right hand on his forehead. Cassandra nodded to him knowing how the sun could get to people and despite the fact that winter was well on its way it had been unusually hot earlier in the morning but now, early in the afternoon a number of storm clouds had been gathering.  
  
Cassandra straightened up. Link could take care of himself "I'll come check on you in a after while. Just stay here and try to collect yourself." she said before she moved to rejoin her sister and the man who had almost replaced her as their leader. Even as they ran up the stairs that would lead to the second floor he didn't hear their feet as the shadowy presence seemed to dominate all his senses. He knew that he was either being hunted or waited on, and he didn't want his shadow to have anybody else in his line of fire.  
  
Arus'Nei chuckled as he looked down from the rafters of the room knowing that Link wouldn't dare to attack him as long as the others were still in the area. The Soul Calibur shard was still in Ivy's possession so they would get nowhere by randomly searching for it, apparently while they wandered around the house like a bunch of mice in a maze the Darkthorne was ready to land at the bluff and send its troops up the rocky bluff that lead up to the mansion. From there they would be able to enter and keep them inside while she carried out her plan. He was going to wait however, wait until things got a little more exiting around the mansion. With that thought he faded from view.  
  
Kyle and Mina had been searching what appeared to be a sort of lounging area when they first noticed the spots in the dust that were more than likely heels of some sort. Short steps through the dust moved over toward the fireplace of the room which didn't seem to be lit up, there was no wood and it appeared to have never been used. Mina looked inside and used the end of her weapon to tap the end. It echoed back that the fireplace was hallow. Kyle looked at Mina and she looked right back. They had found a vault or a hidden basement. Either way it had to be uncovered.  
  
Both of them separated and began to search the room each of them pulling and manipulating anything they could. Kyle moved his hands along the wall feeling for any irregularity while Mina checked the rungs and curtains of the fireplace. Eventually Kyle found what he was looking for, a piece of the carving in the fireplace seemed to be connected to a switch or something as it could be pulled out. He pulled back and something clicked and he was then free to pull the fireplace open like a door.  
  
On the other side of the fireplace there was a hook that connected to the piece of carving and in the area directly behind the mockery there was a bar strategically placed for the hook to secure on. Kyle began and Mina followed until suddenly something ran down Mina's spine. A chill that made all the winters of the world seem like a spring day, she reached out and clasped her open hand around Kyle's arm. He looked back as she held an expression of dreed on her face as if she had just felt the presence of the reaper.  
  
Mina's eyes were glazed over and it appeared she had gone of a swift trip to another world before returning to their own to say "I have a bad feeling about this." Kyle looked at Mina before looking down toward the basement. Reaching down to his belt he drew the oni sword, Oblivion and felt the added energy and power of the ancient blade move through his body "Stay sharp and be ready." he said quoting Hwang's motto to her before he stepped forward. Mina in turn took one of the torches and closed the fireplace behind them to keep anybody else from following.  
  
About fifty steps down into the concealed basement they found an old wooden door which Kyle took his time in opening, before bursting into the room holding up his blade. Nothing happened. The room seemed to be completely abandoned. Kyle scanned the room, but he saw nothing. There hadn't been a trace of life withing these four walls in months if not year but something was very odd about everything that he saw and Mina confirmed these were not normal implements for forgery, which seemed to be the base of the room.  
  
Mina stepped over to a small bookshelf that seemed to have less on it than the tables which seemed to be all based around one point. The practice of Alchemy. The arts of arcane magic molded with science to create mechanics that rivaled the present world. Mina stepped around the table finding what appeared to be pieces of raw metal, it was steel that had yet to be molded and right next to it was a book opened up to what appeared to be schematics for a multi segmented sword...Mina felt another chill.  
  
Kyle looked over the table reading random parts of a few books finding several of them spoke of the theories on Soul Edge's energy. All of them written before it became perfectly obvious that the blade was not man made, it was something that for all they knew was made before men walked the earth. Kyle's eyes then caught something else that sat over in the far corner of the room as if discarded, Mina's eyes widened as she caught sight of it. It was a multi-segmented sword and its resemblance to the Valentine was unmistakable...MOVEMENT!!  
  
Mina's instincts took hold as something shot out from the farthest point of the room right at her back, she however managed to dive to the ground as something struck the wall taking out a chunk of the stone. Kyle's head jerked up as it retracted back like a serphant and then came at him, he moved to the side as it put a light scratch across his neck and then came back again. Mina crawled up getting to her feet enough to grab her weapon and come up into stance, Kyle jumped back as it came at him again rather specifically as if it had forgotten about Mina.  
  
He reached down ripping the demonic broad sword from its sheath before the attacking object came at him again, he stepped back and it whirled past his side and curved as if trying to get around his abdomen. He brought the Oblivion down on the table and dragged whatever was attacking him down pinning it to the thick oak table. The attacker froze and was revealed as a multi segmented sword, its movements ceased as it was pinned to the table.  
  
Kyle instinctively jumped up reinforcing his grip on his blade and followed the trail of the faintly glowing blade toward the owner, he growled as it turned out being that woman from Istanbul that sent that monster to attack them, his partner saw the woman as well and was far from pleased "Wonders never cease." Mina growled. Kyle narrowed his eyes as a smirk played across the woman's violet lips and she gave a sharp pull on her beloved blade which sent it retracting back toward the hilt. The Oblivion went up and stabbed into the table only to be retrieved by Kyle mere moments later who narrowed his eyes toward the woman.  
  
Isabella Valentine, now clearly revealed as the infamous Ivy smiled as she stepped out of the corner and looked upon Mina's shocked expression with more than a little amusement. Mina's hand grinded around her weapon as her mind contemplated so much about what had happened. How could somebody with her whole life ahead of her go after the Soul Edge, why would somebody seeking to destroy the Soul Edge join with it, why would she turn on her original righteous plan. She smiled even more "You seem surprised Mina. No gimp remark? No comeback?" she inquired rubbing her shock in her face. Mina just narrowed her eyes toward Ivy as she raised her weapon "I've given up care about such things, you know why we are here, now where is it?!" she shouted out threateningly. Kyle raised his blade having the tip point towards Ivy where it seemed to send a pulse through his body as it responded to the same blood it had tasted so long ago, it was picking up the same blood elsewhere in the house "Valentine, I have no business with you. Where is de Leon." he said his voice echoing sheer anger and hatred.  
  
Almost instantly Ivy decided against this mysterious mercenary being her victim, his emotions powered that sword that he carried and with some luck she could manipulate that to her advantage as he seemed hell bent on her father's destruction. She smiled before speaking "Your sword is quite an enigma, seems it thirsts for his blood as much as you yourself. Still it is a spirit sword of a dark nature, I wonder..." she said stepping around the table too slowly for Mina's comfort and the way Kyle was listening to her...it made her even more uncomfortable.  
  
Ivy smirked before speaking to Kyle her steps around the table causing him to circle as well locking eye contact "Has it had any kind of effect on you after such a long time? Have you ever experiance periodic black outs where a great amount of bloodshed happens in the said time? I can sense the Evil Seed upon you and can only wonder exactly how that effected the relationship between you and an oni blade. Perhaps you and your blade are one, much like our master and commander." she said in reference to Nightmare.  
  
"What has occurred in my life is no consequence to you. I am my own person and will not be ruled by any other living thing, and it sure as Hell will not end up being a sword I have carried sense before I know." he said his anger growing as he raised the blade.  
  
Ivy chuckled "I never said that it controlled you. I'm wondering if you ever become like some sort of a prodigy with that sword, when your ambition, anger and the sort take such hold of you that you feel nothing but the fight. Do you have kills you can't remember? Do you have scars you can't recall? Are areas of your poor pathetic life missing little one?" Kyle narrowed his eyes, at her but at the same time everything she said made him question himself. "Just shut your mouth, you bitch!" Mina screamed.  
  
Ivy smirked lightly as she stepped around the table toward the only exit of the room they knew of "Defensive as always. Why do you continue your search little girl, and why do you drag others to do your fighting for you?" she said looking once again at Kyle clearly attempting to dig herself under the Korean's beauty's skin. Mina's hands gripped her weapon as if she was strangling somebody "Isn't this the part you run away?" she growled out as Ivy brought up her weapon. Mina then rushed at her and the Valentine struck out at her.  
  
Mina moved hard to the side against the wall and the whip went sailing back nearly hitting Kyle who performed the same maneuver in the other direction, unfortunately this was all in Ivy's plan. The whip curved stabbing into the other wall and with a sharp pull the metallic twine of the multi segmented constricted and slammed Mina hard into the wall, much to Kyle's shock. Mina gasped for air as the blade dug deeper into the wall on the other end of the room tightening itself around her and forcing the breath from her lungs. Kyle glared at Ivy "Let her go!" he shouted holding up Oblivion.  
  
Ivy chuckled before she withdrew her weapon and the ran up the stairs, Kyle rushed to Mina who fought to regain her breath. "You alright?" he asked as Mina weakly pushed him away "I'll be fine! Get her!" she shouted. Kyle looked up knowing that Ivy would lead him to Cervantes, the object of his vengeance. He cast a final look at Mina before speaking "Get up and get back to the ship, let them know what is going on." he said before vanishing from view. He could only wonder what they were after at this point.  
  
Cassandra Alexandra stepped slowly over the hard wood hallways of the mansion, after they reached the second floor their small group of three had split up to cover more ground. She hadn't had any luck in finding what they were looking for but after quite a bit of walking she came across a library. It was well stocked and put most of Athen's public establishments to shame as it was filled with books of nearly every language, not that she was one on a constant search of knowledge but the inventory impressed her.  
  
Stepping out from the entrance to the library she found there was a balcony that looked out over the tall and quite imposing main hall of the Valentine Mansion. Looking down over it she caught sight of Link who stood in the center of the hall facing the staircase that lead up to the second level of the main hall. He stepped toward the stairs as if he was being lured by some unknown force, the expression of sheer determination on his face gave Cassandra the chills and she wanted to call out to him and ask him what was going on, but and unidentifiable sense told her not to.  
  
Her eyes looked up and gazed around as she heard another pair of footsteps coming from the main hall, looking down she saw a shadowed figure moving down the large marble staircase towards Link. She couldn't make out much but the silhouette, which seemed to be around Link's size and shape in almost every detail she could see. Every step this shadow made was slow and precise as if attempting to build the amount of tension and suspense that Cassandra was feeling within her normally short patience. Link slowly brought his crossed arms to his side as the figure reached the middle of the stairs and stepped into the light. [It cannot be...] Cassandra's mind murmured.  
  
Link narrowed eyes at the figure that was before him, something that any normal man would probably go screaming in terror from. It was like looking in a mirror and at the same time not. Before the elven swordsman was another that looked exactly like him physically in almost every detail. Had it not been for the black tunic, the dark brown hair or the light ashen skin the confused Athenian wouldn't be able to tell which one was her Link. The other let out a sound, a simple chuckled before it spoke "Hello Link, did you miss me?" he asked. This shocked Cassandra.  
  
He even had Link's voice only the way he spoke was deeper and smoother, every word she just heard made her see this creatures as some sort of opposite. The creature looked up at Link as she shifted positions, his eyes were also an opposite to Link. To counter the warm friendly blues possessed by the Hylian, this creature possessed a pair of dark reds that shown with cruelty and malice. The creature reached up adjusting his weapon which just happened to be a blade that looked exactly like Link's only forged from some ominous black material. Cassandra knew that whatever she was witnessing was going to uncover a great deal more about her now close friend.  
  
Kilik found himself on the roof fighting the powerful winds that blew over head, surely enough he had found a hole in the roof and Xianghua called back from the attic announcing she had found what looked like a stab mark in the wood. Somebody had already removed the shard but she felt that it was still somewhere in the mansion, Xianghua came back toward the window Kilik had gone out on the roof from "Get back in here before something happens." she giggled still thinking that things were clear. Suddenly however there was a familiar sound from afar.  
  
"Get down!" Kilik shouted before something exploded against the side of the roof sending pieces of clay shingling at him. He turned and looked back down the beach on the opposite side of the Peninsula. That same ship from Istanbul had docked itself on the beach and was opening fire on the mansion from afar "A trap! An ambush!" Kilik shouted at Xianghua. Running to the other end of the house he looked down at the rocky bluff to see several Uruk-hai climbing up. They were laying a trap for them, right from the start. This was not going to end well and he knew it.  
  
After a long silence Link finally spoke to the creature every word filled with the utmost hatred for the creature "Five years ago...I watched you fall from the peaks of Death Mountain and into Din's ravine. How in her name do you still draw breath?!" he shouted at the creature that only seemed to chuckle in response before he started down the stairs again stepping fully into view revealing that he like Link also carried a bow that was half hidden by a full sized shield. He held up his right hand to point toward Link almost accusingly "Isn't it amazing that it is your fate for your friends to unknowingly turn against you?" Link narrowed his eyes.  
  
The creature continued "When you sent me tumbling over those cliffs five years ago, I too thought that I had met my end. However as always it seems that dear princess Zelda was worrying too much about you once again. Believing in a few theories that senile old viser had given her, she made sure that I was to be kept alive but out of action. Not that being in the Gerudo's care was necessarily a bad thing for five long years." he laughed. Cassandra listened intently wondering if this could be the brother Link spoke of.  
  
Link narrowed his eyes before speaking "What theory?" he asked. The creature continued his enlightenment "They believed that a part of you had been split off at some point during your time elsewhere in the world. That a constantly hidden part of you have been formed into a separate entity and sent out to kill you. Though this isn't far removed from the truth, I am nobodies puppet." he announced.  
  
He let out a long laugh in spite of the efforts of Link's allies "Seems that those fools actually believed that if either of us were to die, that the other would follow. So under Zelda's command they sealed me away in the Spirit Temple where I would remained until one of us passed on naturally." he cocked his head lightly as he looked at Link "I don't know which part is more sad, the fact that they were so far from the truth of our origins, the fact that in keeping me alive they made a target for Soul Edge or the fact that even now they continue to screw you over. Which do you think brother?" he said in contempt of Zelda.  
  
Link's left leg scrapped the floor as it moved back reinforcing his stance, he swiped one arm through the air expressing his anger "Shut your mouth you wretch!" he shouted through out the hall. The creature chuckled before speaking "The typical Link. Always pure and always having to leave the past behind. How can you be so naive when you know those fools wouldn't lift a finger to help you." he said waving an arm. Every word he said against Link made Cassandra more eager to interfere but she knew that if this guy truly was Link's brother, it wasn't her fight and was definately not in her favor.  
  
Link looked up at his darker twin before speaking "I always have a lot of time to forgive and forget what anybody has ever done to me or put me through. Your one person I can never forgive." Link said before reaching back and placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. This shadow that claimed Link as his brother gave a sigh "So this is where the hands of fate have landed us, trapped in a mysterious world with only one another as a sense of home. I guess we are truly ment to end this once and for all." he said before drawing his sword, Link in the same motion drew his as well. Cassandra then watched in horror as the two of them rushed at one another and brought their swords down in one powerful fluid motion slamming them together with more power than she had seen yet. Brothers or not, it didn't matter to either of them as they simply wished to continue their conflict and discover who would come out on top. The only thing that seemed to be on their mind was their own duel "Get out of it Link." she breathed lowly as she watched.  
  
Next Chapter: The Black Wind's Ambush The Black Wind's troops come out of hiding and begin their attack on the multiple seekers on and off the Valentine Estate. Drake's guilt catches up with him enough to go into battle and Cassandra's worry on Link increases. Link and Arus'Nei clash in a fight for superiority and Kyle finally meets the object of his vengence after several long years, Cervantes de Leon. 


	39. Black Wind's Ambush

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay people are wondering about Kyle swords so I'll clue you guys in. The Oblivion and Nirvana (unrevealed) are a pair of double edge long swords that work hand in hand when brought together.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Six: The Black Wind's Ambush Neither Xianghua or Kilik could believe their luck at this point, they had actually been lead here only to be ambushed within the next few minutes. With the forces of the Black Wind coming in two different directions it would be all but impossible to escape from them unharmed. As they moved down the stairs to the second floor they knew there was conflict already going on as they heard the sounds of clashing metal coming from the main hall. Kilik looked at Xianghua "We have to tell the others, where did Sophitia tell us to meet her down here?" he said as they stopped at a pair of large double doors.  
  
Suddenly the two of them burst open causing both warriors to raise their weapons in defense only to lower them as a shocked looking Cassandra stepped into view. Xianghua breathed "Don't do that to us!" she shouted at the younger Athenian who seemed to be out of breath despite the fact she had just come from the library, which they had inspected while searching for a way into the attic. Cassandra instead of responding looked at the two of them "Where is my sister? Something is very wrong."  
  
Xianghua reserved the urge to swear as she spoke "Your not the only one to notice, we have to find the others. This house is being ambushed as we speak, if they get caught off guard we're in big trouble." she snapped as she pulled Cassandra down the hall. Cassandra pulled her wrist free "You don't understand, Link is..." "He can take care of himself Cassandra, I'm more worried about others on the ship." Cassandra breaths as she decided she'd just have to explain it to Sophitia, she is the only one who would believe it.  
  
Sophitia breathed as she stepped out onto a balcony that was built on the second floor that over looked the garden, they had just moved through a rather lavish master bedroom that contained nothing of their interest. Siegfried breathed as he leaned against the stone railing "I don't think we're getting anywhere in our search, we should regroup with Maxi and the others before long."  
he stated. Sophitia gave a weak nod towards this as she looked out over the fenced in gardens that were around the back of the mansion, just as beautiful as those in the courtyard.  
  
Siegfried stepped up and lightly tapped Sophitia on the shoulder, he didn't say a word but pointed down toward the back of the garden where a certain ally of their's was sitting on a stone bench apparently just thinking. Sophitia lightly sighed figuring he was disappointed he didn't find the former heiress that was supposed to live at the estate "Think he'll be alright?" she asked him. Siegfried looked at her and shrugged "I've only been with you a week but the man is tough,  
he should be fine." he said in spite of his knowledge. It wasn't like he could just tell him everything without causing more hatred towards himself. Sophitia then noticed the back gate was open and became cautious...  
  
Raphael rested one hand against his forehead, it had been a good long while since he had been this disappointed which was a rare thing for him all together. He shrugged figuring that he shouldn't hang upon it, it wasn't like they ever had anything that was very deep. If anything he and Isabella Valentine we're close friends and rivals, nothing romantic ever went on between them. Although Yunsung and Seung Mina seemed to doubt that even after he told them the same story at least half a dozen time in the past week. He chuckled, not that he would mind if they did have such a history.  
  
Suddenly Raphael's attention was snatched by the sound of an object crashing through the shrubs he sat in front of, a few small leaves going over his shoulder signaled him to move. "Sorel!" a call of his name from the house gave more insistence. He jumped up and leapt forward as something came down hard just catching the edge of his calf. Ignoring the small pain in his leg he whirled around unsheathing his blade from his side, a Uruk-hai's repulsive head poked through the brush and his sword had been brought to the bench. Raphael narrowed his eyes "Leave this place at once!" he demanded but instead the piggish beast jumped through the brush and was followed by others through the gate.  
  
Siegfried looked to Sophitia "More are coming from the basement! They've been waiting for us!" he shouted before looking down to spot more coming up on Raphael's blind side. Gathering up his guts he sprinted forward gripping his large sword and pushed himself up over the side of the balcony to come crashing down on the forced. Sophitia wasted no time in gripping her own weapon and following, in her own more stylish way.  
  
Raphael narrowed his eyes losing the normally calm exterior he kept about him, the Black Wind was laying another trap and it was on the Valentine's land. He swiped his sword before going into stance, that is before he noticed the Lizardmen coming from the house behind him. The Lizardmen gave savage taunts before they were suddenly silenced from above. Siegfried looked up at his fellow swordman giving a light smile "Starting without us?" he asked with an unbelievable amount of sarcasm. Sophitia didn't speak and only prepared her weapons.  
  
Raphael growled as he faced the Uruk-hai and ended up back to back with the other two warriors "What are they doing here?" he snarled.  
  
Siegfried shook his head before speaking "They must know that we're after the Soul Calibur.  
Perhaps Nightmare handing it over was a piece of bait to make us go after the others, thus knowing where we'd end up."  
  
Sophitia narrowed her eyes knowing that her sister was in that mansion somewhere probably fighting for her life in its tight corridors. This realization didn't make Sophitia happy "They picked the wrong day to start with me." she said completely out of her normal saint like character. Raphael brought up his sword "If everybody is ready, lets dance." he said with a great confidence. The Uruk-hai then attacked and the warriors all raised their blades prepared to die by them as they had lived by them.  
  
Mina ran down the incline as fast as he legs could carry her toward the two ships that rested unsuspecting of what was going on. Her shoulder felt like it had been shattered although she could still move her arm, but not without some amount of pain not very good in a head on battle.  
She didn't want to leave Kyle alone but he had virtually demanded it and she wasn't about to argue when he became so focused. When he was like this her presence would only serve to get in his way, much like Hwang back in the day.  
  
"Ambush!" she screamed out as she came within the proper hearing distance of the two ships "We're being attacked!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs as she hit even ground and ran over the thin glaze of sand toward the Eternal Wind's lowered ramp. Several of them had just been standing around and a few others seemed to look up at the mansion, specifically Drake and Talim. They however dropped their actions when they saw her and Maxi ran over the ramp at once to catch her as she fell to her knees.  
  
"Mina?! What happened to you?!" he asked as he helped her walk on deck. While there should have been tears of pain in her eyes there was only a deep anger "Ivy...Valentine attacked me and Kyle. She is who we've been looking for. The Black Wind is attacking the mansion from the other side of the peninsula." she said referring to the first beach about a mile from the mansion they first planned on using. Drake looked at the mansion and felt a darker wind begin to blow,  
one of guilt, pain and uncertainty. Then without any clear motive he jumped the side of the ship and broke into a run towards the mansion.  
  
Yunsung watched as he ran and felt his suspicion and distrust of Drake kick in enough for him to follow "Where do you think your going?!" he shouted after Drake who didn't respond. He didn't get far before Talim grabbed her elbow blades and followed directly after the two of them.  
  
Heishiro Mitsurugi had seen plenty of battles in his time and seen many forming battlefield and this was towards the top of his list, and he knew they had to cut off the ship that was firing at the mansion. Turning toward Michael and Stephan he took charge "We've run aground! We won't be able to get out before they come for the ship! Prepare for battle!" he demanded remembering the Eternal Wind's cannons would be able to return fire to any other ship.  
  
Naoyuki however had other plans "Over here!" he shouted hailing them towards the Nightwraith.  
Taki looked at Mitsurugi and nodded before both of them dashed forward and jumped onto the smaller much swifter ship. Naoyuki in turn hoisted at the ropes that bringing the sales into full which ended up pulling the Eternal Wind free of the shore. Naoyuki then moved and servered the rope that held the Eternal Wind and the Nightwraith together. Taki looked over at Mina who was standing on the deck "What are we doing?" Mina spoke "They arn't going to waste cannon fire on us. We're providing a moving target."  
  
Mitsurugi raised an eyebrow at this as he drew his sword out of preparation "A moving target for what?" he asked just as they was a splash from the side of the ship. Water sprayed up onto the deck as a lightly armored blue scaled Lizardman jumped onto the deck from the water followed by others. Mina dropped into stance "Answer your question?!" Mina shouted as the three warriors dropped into stance.  
  
The Lizardman roared as it jumped at Taki and was then send back as a small explosion came from behind her, she looked back to see Jack standing there with his rifle. He smirked and winked at her before he became serious again, obviously he didn't catch the hateful glare from Mitsurugi toward his weapon. Naoyuki took the wheel of the ship "I'll try to get us around to that other ship! Keep those bastards busy until then!" he shouted. Everybody prepared themselves knowing that the Eternal Wind probably had the same problem. Mina gave a light glance to what sat on the mast of the ship, Kyle's hawk Silverbolt. He knew something was wrong.  
  
Drake gave a shout as he jumped up and kicked the front gate to swing open and then moved inside stopping to look around. The front garden was now a small battlefield as several of the Lizardmen and Uruk-hai were clashing with the likes of Kilik, Xianghua and Cassandra. He began wondering where Ivy was before he was suddenly grabbed and turned around to face Yunsung "What the hell did you run off for?!" he screamed at Drake before being pushed back "What is your damage Yunsung?!" he shouted back.  
  
A Lizardman roared as it rushed at the Korean from behind and raised his blade, Drake saw this and quickly slapped his left hand down on Yunsung's corresponding shoulder pushing him to the side. His right hand gripped the Northern Wind which was drawn from its shoulder sheath to strike the creature down in a stabbing motion. The monster fell and Drake quickly pulled Yunsung to his feet "The wind carries this conflict through the air." he said as he dropped into stance. "Yeah right." Yunsung said doubtfully.  
  
Talim had ignored the obvious tension between the two boys and moved to the first surviving teammate he saw which just happened to be Cassandra. The younger athenian gave an angry battle cry as she used her shield to force away an Uruk-hai's blade before drawing her own across its throat. Talim moved to her and fell back to back with her effectively protecting her while she did the same. Cassandra spoke up "Talim? Are the ships on the move yet?" she asked as another cannonball struck the house "We can't take this anymore!" she shouted.  
  
Talim nodded "They're moving to take it out. Where are the others?" she asked. Cassandra looked back as she thought of Link once again wondering how he was fairing, she knew she shouldn't get in the way but couldn't help it. Cassandra had noticed several of the Lizardmen moving into the mansion and worried that Link had been over powered. Then again nobody said that this creature he was fighting was even with the Black Wind. "I have to help Link." she said before running inside.  
  
It didn't matter what amount of noise was going on around the mansion, one could not mistake the battle cries of anger and rage that came from the main hall where Link and his archival continued to clash. The light of the Master Sword came down hard and everytime was only matched by the equel power of the Shaodw Sword. Link breathed hard as he swung down at the man that claimed to be his brother slowly forcing him up the stairs, while he held an expression of anger and determination Arus'Nei only had with him a calm smirk. Both swords clashed again before falling into a stand off crossed at hilt position. Arus'Nei smirked "You've gotten faster in five years Masters. But I'm still not impressed." he chuckled.  
  
Link ignored the obvious taunt and pushed the shadow off of him before jumping forward bringing his sword down with much more power. The blade glowed as it punched into the stairs in a large curved slash kicking up a great deal of wood into the air before it was brought back up to meet with the Shadow Sword "Come now Link, I know you can do better." he taunted before Link got another idea. He released the grip on his shield allowing it to slide of his arm before he swung out and struck his twin across the face dropping him to the floor. He then raised his blade ready to make the deathblow "Tooya!" he shouted. In Hyrulian it essentially ment 'farewell'  
  
Dark Link narrowed his eyes knowing that Link wasn't as disoriented as he originally thought and quickly moved smashing his leg into Link's side before jumping up to swing his blade. Link quickly switched his blade to block the blow but the sheer forced sent him down the stairs, a quick backflip off his hands however caught him at the bottom. He recovered quickly before he dashed up the stairs swinging again hard.  
  
Arus'Nei grunted as he swung up the Shadow Sword knocking the opposite blade away from him, he then turned and swung at Link putting a cut in his right arm. Link narrowed his eyes "Why can't you and your kind just leave me alone!" Link screamed before swinging again at the Shadow Sword which only caught the Master Sword. Knowing each others way of fighting in and out, getting a clean hit was next to impossible but often it was the determination that prevailed. Link came up with his blade which Arus moved to block, before switching his stance and putting in a hefty swing at his shadow's mid section.  
  
Arus'Nei jumped back but still caught a deep gash in his abdomen, giving a growl of pain he brought up his sword and pushed Link back before jumped hard to the top of the stairs where he stopped falling out of stance. This caused Link to ease up as well but kept ready. Arus'Nei swiped his blade through the air before placing his shield on his back "You actually think that I am anything like that fool Gannondorf or any of those other that carry a grudge because you and your band managed to screw up their plans? You're a bigger fool than I thought?" he announced.  
Link dropped out of stance as well but held the Master Sword firmly in his hands "What are you talking about? What the hell did I ever do to you?!" he shouted in anger.  
  
Arus'Nei closed his eyes reflecting on several aspects of his life. The suffering, the pain, the crushing loneliness and seclusion. He looked back on everything he had gone through before finally speaking "You were born, Link. Your simple existence has stolen more from me and caused me more misery than you could possibly imagine...and I'm going to pay it all back in spades!" he shouted before running down the stairs to swing at Link who back flipped away from the attack and then jumped forward bringing his blade down.  
  
Link stepped back as his blade was deflected again and the two began to circle around the main hall, their glares serving as the center of an unseen ring they walked upon. Link spoke "I have no clue what your talking about. I don't know who you are, where you come from, if your real or just my shadow...and quite frankly it make no difference to me!" Arus chuckled as he prepared to restart their battle "You're a pathetic liar Link." he said dropping into stance.  
  
As they prepared to continue the assault when suddenly the front doors were kicked open and a dozen black fleshed creatures stepped through the doors. Link recognized them as some of the Black Wind's grunts from Istanbul, Arus'Nei recognized them as those stupid creatures from the ship, the Uruk-hai. They looked at two similar men before looking to one of their group that had a run hand print on his face, the mark of a squad leader "Which one is our target?" one of them asked. The captain could look upon the two and have no clue, so he raised his sword "We take them both!" he roared.  
  
Link looked towards Arus'Nei who shook his head mouthing out 'truce' before they both turned toward two attacking Uruk-hai that rushed at them. Their movements were in unison and the same style. Right hand went to the shoulder while the left, with sword still in hand went down to the strap that held on the abdomen plate armor. Then in one fluid motion both of the piggish creatures were hurled over head and into the handrails of the stairs shattering the wood, both unconscious. They then spun around in the same direction to cut down the next two attackers.  
  
The other seven Uruk-hai just yelled before rushing at the two of them and they broke into their own way of fighting. Three came at Link while four came at Arus'Nei each of them out for Hylian blood, but not a drop would be theirs. Link kicked his shield up from the floor catching the end in his hand and then slamming it across his first attacker's head cracking open his skull.  
The next had his attack deflected and then had the Master Sword driven through him, Link turned loose on his sword as the last came at him and reached behind his back. The next thing the last attacker knew he had been struck in the chest with an arrow, and then looked up in time to receive another between his eyes...  
  
Arus'Nei gave a loud battle cry as he slammed his shield into the first attacker getting the Uruk-  
hai out of his way before driving the Shadow Sword into the second. The blade glowed before he swung up and then swung down again, a flash of darkness and the creature turned as black as coal and then fell into dust. He then took the liberty of slashing the first across the spin. A third attacker came as Arus'Nei took one of the cheaply forged swords and hurled it to stab into its head. The squad leader roared angrilly before attacking him. Arus'Nei narrowed his eyes before he smashed his shield into the monster's sword breaking it. He then sweeped the monsters feet getting him up in the air, then in one savage motion he bisected the creature at the chest ending its existence.  
  
The black oil and puss that served as the Uruk-hai's blood was now sprayed all over the main hall the rose pink and white marble was stained, Link felt that it was a shame this place was the battleground. His eyes scanned the room as he noticed that Arus'Nei had vanished, he looked toward the two large doors as more of the creatures entered to attack him. His attention was then caught by the tip of sword sticking out from behind a pillar near the entrance. Link rushed around arming his bow before firing, Arus ducked out of the way with a grunt before bolting through the nearest door. A creature attempted to get in Link's way only to be struck down...  
  
Cassandra Alexandra didn't feel well about leaving the rest of the group to fight but she had to make sure that Link was okay, if his opponent was truly the man he had spoken to her about in Venice then he probably needed help. She rushed through the doors after a single Uruk-hai and saw a shadow move from behind a pillar just as an arrow came at him. Link put the bow away and then prepared to go after the shadow just as the creature moved, the Master Sword glowed and before Cassandra realized it the creature had been drawn in half from head to toe.  
  
Cassandra had watched everybody fight and spent a lot of that time close to Link but she had never seen him so savagely attack an opponent, she could tell from where she stood he was angry about something. Their eyes met for but a second before he dashed down the nearest hall after the figure that had run away from him. Cassandra looked back at the others and cursing her own sense of curiosity she gave chase on Link wanting to know exactly what was going on.  
  
Ivy had ran and Kyle had given chase. It was as simple as that. He had to chase her, he had to catch her and he needed to force her to tell him where her unwanted father was. His lust for vengeance might have been on of his few weaknesses and he had layed it out like bone before a group of wolves to be exploited but he didn't care. Cervantes would die by his blade alone and he would sacrifice anything he had to. And right now the fact he had proven that his most powerful goal could grab hold of him easily it truly wasn't much of a price.  
  
From the hidden alchemy lab where he had left Mina to tell the others, through the dining room and study, down another flight of stairs and down a very long tunnel that seemed to have been hidden away Kyle eventually found that Ivy had stopped running. He stepped into a very large chamber that appeared to have been dug into an underground cavern, it was at least three hundred feet wide, a hundred feet long and a hundred feet tall. All hidden underground but strangely light still poured into the room from an unseen source. Ivy obviously noticed him looking around.  
  
"Its an ancient Eygptian trick. Using mirrors to reflect sunlight, my foster father believed that gold needed sunlight to remain in its true glamor. Back when this cavern was chalk full of it, but of course that was the past." Ivy shared. Mina had told him stories of Ivy back when she still sought the sword to destroy it, apparently from a family that had squandered its riches in vain attempts to find the Soul Edge and Soul Blade. Not that he cared "Tell me where de Leon is." he said demandingly to her, bringing one arm to grip the hilt of the oblivion which was sheathed on the back of his belt.  
  
Ivy breathed lightly "Well at least you have enough dignity not to call him my father, but then again you should thank me for bringing you here." she said making Kyle very suspicious.  
Turning his head he glared into a lightly shadowed part of the large cavern "You're disrespect knows no bounds does it Isabella." a middle aged voice said. There wasn't enough light to clearly see it but he could make out the sinister glow of two eyes and a blade.  
  
A man stepped out from the shadows and Kyle felt his grip around his blade's hilt grow. The way the man crossed armor onto pieces of military uniform along with the hat, there was also the white as snow beard and the white pupils, all were dead give aways. Not that the deathly pale flesh and the Soul Blade were any less significant. There was no mistaking it. This was Cervantes de Leon, he truly had risen from his grave to walk among the living. A little intimidating even to him. But fear was a barrier nobody went through life without, and it wasn't something he wasn't going to step over. Cervantes looked upon Kyle having heard about a man whos resolve to kill him seemed to be his fuel for fighting, nothing mattered to him but revenge. Looking upon this young man he wasn't impressed and he didn't look anything like he expected. Since he laid hands on the blades he had killed countless military personal that followed the puny, pathetic thing called honor. He had expected a distinguished son of a European commander or somebody that the general public would have given a damn about. All he got was some filthy eastern brat probably out to make a name for himself. "Cervantes..." Kyle said the name slowly. His voice was like poison and burning with hatred, it was a familiar growl that Cervantes had heard before but he had never heard it with such anger,  
such hatred. It was as if all of his being was fixed on the hatred he possessed for the immortal pirate, in one swift motion he brought out the black bladed sword that the Valentine had apparently reacted to. Cervantes might not have recognized the warrior before him but he knew the blade he carried. The first blade that had ever managed to harm him after he attained the Soul Edge. In one swift and fierce motion Kyle tore the Oblivion from its metal and leather sheath creating a few sparks as he did so, the lightweight long sword swipped through the air before being brought up. Cervantes at once felt the amount of power that began rushing through the youth's body and glared toward his daughter, she had never mentioned anything of this. She just smirked at him as the youth spoke. "De Leon..." he growled again as if possessed by his own ambitions. Cervantes had expected a speech, or gloating like Sophitia had years ago. He got nothing of the sort.  
  
Without another word or another ounce of body language the Oblivion's master rushed at him with a cry of combined anger, hatred and determination covering the forty foot gap in less than a second. He jumped up and brought the destructive blade down just as the Soul Blade was brought up to hold it off. Cervantes planted his foot as he raised his blades in a cross position to ward off his attacker, the Oblivion broke through the defense forcing his hands apart before the blade moved in a stabbing motion. Cervantes quickly forced the shorter Turmoil hard to the side managing to keep the blade away from him.  
  
Cervantes attempted to recover himself but before he could even raise his sword again his opponent had jumped up and given him a powerful kick to the side of his head. The pirate lost his footing and struck the ground surprised that this warrior was actually fighting on the same terms as him. He quickly anticipated the next obvious moved and rolled just as the blade dug into the ground where his neck had been just a second prior. Kyle yanked up his blade and went back into stance, Ivy smirked from where she stood which was now next to the doorway. With any luck this boy would find a way to rid her of her father, she'd have to check later.  
  
Cervantes narrowed his eyes and growled as the boy ran one gloved hand along the edge of the blade "Why are you so surprised old man? After what you've done to me you shouldn't expect the slightest bit of fair play from me. Don't you dare compare me to the White Wind." he said before dropping his weapon back into stance. Cervantes got back to his feet bringing his swords into their traditional stance. "Impotent brat! You actually think I'd remember the faces of those I have fed to the swords? You shouldn't take such a thing personally." Cervantes taunted.  
  
Kyle narrowed his eyes towards Cervantes and brought up his blade which caused Cervantes to flinch "The Oblivion wants your blood. I want your head. Stop stalling and fight." he said in a haunting voice. Cervantes looked back toward the entrance of the vault to see that Ivy had vanished, Kyle spoke again "Your own blood betrays you pirate. Not that I could blame her, your existence had damaged her own almost as much as my own." Cervantes growled before glaring at Kyle "Damn you child!"  
  
Kyle mentally smiled at this. The stories of Cervantes being hot tempered were true and he had obviously struck one very large, very sensitive nerve. His vengeance was within his grasp and everything about his opponent was betraying him, he might have had the Soul Blade but it would not be enough to stand up against Kyle extensive knowledge of the Immortal Pirate.  
  
Cassandra felt a stitch start to form in her side as she chased Link down the halls, he snapped into different room and halls without showing any kind of warning before moving. Along the way he had taken down three different attackers with fierce efficiency and didn't show signs of slowing down until he caught whoever he was chasing. Link was still a mystery to her in several ways. He rarely spoke about himself and now he was showing anger, adrenaline and a great deal of determination in catching whoever he was after. They soon reached a hall on the east wing of the mansion.  
  
Cassandra could see it just down the hall. The splitting image of Link she had seen in the main hall standing right next to a window with his arms crossed, during the few seconds she could see him she could easily see so many similarities and very few differences. He raised one arm urging Link to come forward right before he stepped back then jump through the window, breaking through the glass and thin wood probably striking another structure. Link didn't hold up he just jumped out right after. Cassandra rushed to the window just in time to watch Link chase after his alter ego "Link...what is wrong with you?" she questioned softly to herself.  
  
His alter ego ran towards the cliffs that were just off to the side of the estate and Link after recovering from a two story drop chased after. Link drew his sword as he ran and the shadow drew his as he reached the edge of the cliff, he then turned and stepped toward his lighter half.  
Link spun around as he ran for added power and the shadow made the same action causing their swords to clash hard together. They both stepped back. Not one of the Black Wind's forces were nearby, nobody would bother them.  
  
Arus'Nei spoke after a tense stare down between the two of them "Are you prepared to test fate once again Link?" Link didn't say a word gripping the Master Sword he brought it up the blue glow appearing around the blade once again showing his raw determination. Lightning clashed above as the gathering clouds began to work their natural wonders. Rain began to mix with the beads of sweat gathering on Link's brow but he didn't flinch as he was ready to end this seemingly eternal duel. Arus'Nei nodded his head "Then let us end this." he said before following Link's stance.  
  
Next Chapter: Frailties of Mortality (Cassandra's Voice) Arus'Nei is somebody Link can never forgive. And Link is somebody Arus'Nei can never forgive. The truth of their relationship is unknown to me and it seems I never will know as they fight a battle set long ago. I feel a darkness in the air as the leader of the White Wind must fight against his own binding hatred and his long sought target. The reaper approaches this battlefield and it seems to know its target.

NOTE: I figured I'd try it YYH or Trigun style. I think that a few of my chapter previews are giving too much of the story away. Okay so I kind of lied last time, it took longer than I expected to set everything up. Next chapter it all comes to a close, somebody will be taken from this story.


	40. Frailties of Mortality

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay people this is it. By the end of this chapter one of the main characters that have been labeled will be taken from the story. I'm not going to tell you here and am going to try to keep people guessing through this chapter. But please if the results don't meet your expectations, don't stop reading because this is all working towards something big. Trust me.  
  
Another Note: For those asking yourself Arus's name is pronounced: R-us nay  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Frailties of Mortality  
  
As obvious as he might have been none of the seekers that were being forced to fight could believe what was going on all around them. The estate of the Valentine clan had become a battleground and even in the bay the Nightwraith had moved under the cliffs where one of the Black Wind's smaller ships waited. The one that had been carrying the lizardmen and Uruk-hai that now assaulted the place was probably a ship captured from the French armada defeated in the Arabian Sea.  
  
Siegfried swung hard with the large blade known as Requiem cutting down multiple targets and sending whatever was left to the ground. Raphael looked back at him "13!" he shouted "15!" Siegfried shouted back. Essentially keeping a pointless score between strength and speed. Sophitia looked back at them as she side stepped another one of the sluggish Uruk-Hai and stabbed her blade up into its chest getting it off the ground before she slammed her shield into its head forcing it off.  
  
While the three of them along with Kilik and Xianghua fought back the advances of the Black Wind the trio of Yunsung, Talim and Drake found themselves on the perimeter of the mansion taking down any of the wandering Uruk-Hai. This was much to the male wind warrior's dismay, he knew that after being absent for so long from the Black Wind that somebody would attempt to get in touch with him. But as long as he was being followed by those two they would continue to attack him and he would be forced to continue killing them.  
  
The Uruk-Hai being quite literally of infinite amounts were no great deal but for him to kill a Lizardman would greatly change Renzor's thought of him, and once being human the jade scaled terror knew it wouldn't be an accident. Talim had claimed she was still worried about those that had gone missing, the likes of Link, Cassandra, Kyle and Mina. Yunsung didn't have an excuse. His presence seemed as if it wanted the threaten the role of his shadow that was barely visible due to the gathering clouds above. Drake headed for the cliffs in hopes of getting into the catacombs under the house, however they all stopped when they saw it.  
  
Two figures were fighting on side of the rocky cliffs going at one another at the edge as if they had some sort of a death wish. None of them could explain what they saw. They had never seen anything like it. It was Link and he was fighting another Link. But At their distance they had no clue as to which Link was their Link. And which Link was the imposter. Without much warning Talim started to approach before Drake grabbed her as he watched the one in the darker green tunic swing hard and send Link back slightly, Talim didn't stop however and began moving toward them.  
  
Arus'Nei jumped high and brought down his sword barely giving Link the breathing room to raise his own to block it before coming up again. Arus however stepped back just in time to shoulder Link hard sending him back over the cliff, luckily however Link managed to grab onto the edge and begin pulling himself up. "Bastard." he growled lightly as he looked down. A carved pathway lead down to a part of the cliff that was like a platform, a cave was there and it seemed that it would be the best place to fight if they wanted to be left alone.  
  
Link found himself growling as he climbed to his feet. He brought up his sword as Arus'Nei turned to him and pointed his sword to the ground, he then smiled lightly. Link then noticed Yunsung and Talim rushing at him from behind, Link then caught that familiar aura in the air and was now officially scared. Arus possessed something that he did not in this world, this would make all the difference if he wasn't careful. Link braced himself on his ground "NO! GET AWAY!" Link shouted.  
  
"Pathetic." Arus'Nei murmured before he spun around bringing one leg off the ground to rotate on his heel. Crimson energy seemed to eject itself from the shadow sword into a powerful ring that shot out from Arus'Nei. Link winced as the wave smashed into them and sent both Yunsung and Talim flying. The Korean smashed into the ground a few feet away sliding on his chest before falling prone on the ground, Talim struck the ground and rolled quite a bit before coming to a stop. Arus'Nei had turned the sword to its flat end. Would he have swiped it as if cutting, both of them would more than likely be dead.  
  
Arus'Nei stood up from a kneel pose he had fallen into after the attack he then looked to Link just as his lighter side hid what fear he had displayed "Is something amiss Masters?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "Talim!" Link looked up and his shadow turned in time to see Drake of all people step up, he knelt down checking Talim and then looked at her attacker that stood before him. Without hesitation he drew both of his blades and glared at him clearly paying no mind to the resemblance he shared with Link, he was just another obstacle in his way.  
  
Without warning Drake charged at Arus'Nei and swung both of his blades to meet the Shadow Sword, however with only one pulse of its aura Drake found himself being forced him back. Arus'Nei then grabbed Drake by the forehead and in a quick motion hoisted him up into the air, the pressure around his cranium left no room to use his blades. Arus'Nei quickly caught himself as he remembered a request given to him by Ivy "Somebody must speak with you." he said before he swung his sword again the energy raining out.  
  
Drake was sent flying through the air a good number of yards before he smashed through a wall on the second floor of the mansion. Link growled knowing that it was unlikely that Drake would be battle worthy after such an incident. "Leave them out of this Arus!" Link screamed. Very few would ever call him by his first name only, it showed a lack of respect. Arus then stepped away before stepping off the side to head down the carved walkway "Lets finish this." he taunted before Link gave chase.  
  
Drake slowly crawled to his feet ignoring the pieces of wood everywhere he was lucky he had hit a less reinforced part of the house other wise his spine might have been broken over a support beam. His vision blurred, whatever energy powered that sword it was far more devious than that of the Soul Edge if it could cause his to weaken just by pulsing. Link's blade, in the one time he had been privilaged to see it was the exact opposite it almost made you feel a little purer. He wondered if an attribute in such a weapon could wash the impurities away.  
  
He didn't have much time to ponder this as something snapped in his blurred vision and he was send up into the air and slamming back to the floor. He then heard something dig its way into the floor and then come up the other side, something metallic moving its way around his chest securing him before pulling him up along with parts of the floor. Somebody then stepped into the light and he found himself once again ruled by the scenario his own foolishness had caused. A familiar voice spoke out "At least he is prompt. Wouldn't you agree?" Drake breathed as if the razor sharp segment of metal around his body didn't concern him.  
  
Drake looked back at the gapping hole his body had left behind in the wall "I'm willing to bet that he is just as native to this world as Renzo or Karenna." she tilted her head lightly as she looked at him "Sharp as always, but I'm beginning to think you might be dulling little one, your time expired weeks ago." she said pointing out the month time limit that she had placed on him to return from Oman. He had not gotten back before they left and was not at the meeting point, Drake breathed "I can explain what happened, but I have another condition for my cooperation." he said.  
  
Ivy thought before retracting the bladed whip back into the form of a sword, she then casually leaned against the wall as Drake sheathed his own blades "I went to Oman to confront the creature the shard had possessed. It seems it has magnified the power the shard possesses, I would have left but the group traveling with the White Wind presented more opportunity. I just have to wait for a time when the Athenian isn't watching over their collected shards. Just give me a little more time." Ivy looked at him long and hard contemplating if his service was something she could do without.  
  
The fallen heiress to the Valentine clan lowered her weapon before looking at him "If you betray my trust I will not hesitate to order your death. Destroy my trust and I will destroy the object of our trust." he took a deep breath before dropping to one knee and bowing his head once again giving his far from valuable word "Now...what is your condition wind rider?" she said using one of his aliases when he was still a sell sword.  
  
He looked outside and took a breath not knowing how Ivy would take his wish, he had already made a large enough demand "In truth it fits into our original bargain. She is a girl traveling with the seekers that hails from the Wind Village, and like my home I want no harm to come to her if it can at all be helped." the woman before him gave a light chuckle before she leaned forward speaking out smoothly "Agreed. Just don't let your personal feelings get in the way of your orders. Be swift and do not disappoint me again." Drake nodded before the blade moved to wrap around him again much to his shock.  
  
"Forgive me, but I can't let them think you sustained no damage from such an event." she said before she used her weapon to hurl him hard into the nearest wall making quite a mess. Drake fell to the floor and held his shoulder now clearly in pain, Ivy then turned and walked away ignoring the light curses under Drake's breath. She decided to head to the gardens first, with any luck they would be to distracted to notice her and all she needed was a second to take Nightmare's biggest target out of action. Sophitia was that target. She also wondered how her unwanted father was doing...  
  
Kyle screamed again as he brought down the powerful oni blade that smashed hard against the Soul Blade and Turmoil that Cervantes crossed to parry the blow. Once again he failed to throw the blade off as the much younger warrior brought it back and then swung in another attack, the immortal pirate was confused. He had never heard of anybody being able to put so much power behind their attacks and not fatigue themselves, either his entire life had been combat or there truly was something abnormal about the black sword he wielded.  
  
As he brought back his sword Kyle thrust his leg forward and smashed the heel of his right foot into Cervante's exposed chest causing him to stumbled before he jumped up and gave a large roundhouse kick to the side of the undead pirate's head sending him a good dozen feet away. Cervantes couldn't understand what he was going through. Everything he was throwing at his opponent was being thrown right back at him, he was constantly being parried, evaded or blocked and then met with a counterattack which almost always hit home. If was as if the boy was reading his thoughts.  
  
Cervantes stabbed the tip of his own demonic blade into the ground and looked up as Kyle brought his blade up and ran his fingers over the demon skull emblem on the hilt before lowering it and motioning with his hand for him to come. Cervantes growled before he pulled to his feet and rushed at the boy deciding he had to end this quickly, he brought up the Turmoil at the last moment pointing the hilt toward him before pulling the hidden trigger. The hidden pistol in the hilt went off and sent a round ball towards Kyle at near point blank rang.  
  
Cervantes smirked and lowered his arm only to his shock to see that Kyle had moved his head a split second before the trigger was even pulled, Cervantes rushing made him unable to stop and this made it easy for Kyle to run him through with the Oblivion. Cervantes screamed in pain, while truly unable to be killed so easily he could still feel pain to a degree, but when ever a blade or anything else severed a strand of the Soul Blade's energy, the essence that ran through his body...it hurt.  
  
Before Cervantes could make a move he was hurled off of the blade which now dripped with his blood, he now felt either betrayed or jinxed. The pistol hidden within Turmoil, he rarely ever used this sneaky trick and somehow this punk prodigy of a warrior anticipated this before he could pull the trigger. The boy raised his sword and he was amazed by what he saw next, the blade glowed in a very odd way. A black and unholy aura surrounded the stained sword before his blood was absorbed by it melding into the very blade that had pierced him for a second time in the last several years. Kyle chuckled "I told you already. My sword wants your blood, and I want your head." Kyle then cocked his head to the side looking at him with a light smirked "Whats that look? You seemed confused?"  
  
Cervantes snarled at the sarcasm that resembled his daughter's to the point of angering him even more "What kind of trick are you using? How are you reading me? Who in the hell are you?!" he growled expecting Kyle to flash a shard of the Soul Edge or a piece of his own blade. Kyle breathed before he stepped closer to Cervantes a dark resolve behind his eyes before he started speaking "You've allowed yourself to grow weaker Cervantes, expecting that all those who challenge you will be fools wanting to compare style. Ever since you destroyed my life I've been hunting you, but unlike the others I took the time to learn what I was up against."  
  
Cervantes growled as Kyle began to lay everything down "I followed your movements after you vanished and asked everybody who ever came into contact with you and survived. It didn't take me long to find out your base style, in between military men, surviving victims and homeless snitches it was no great task of learning all about your style. Right down to that crummy pistol you customized into the Turmoil. I even knew who Ivy was before we came here, I know everything about you." Cervantes growled as he concentrated into the Soul Blade and gripped both his swords "You...know nothing!!" he shouted before leaping at Kyle.  
  
In mid air he began spinning and his swords went into a whirlwind of death flying right at him, Kyle sharped gasped before he jumped back just as Cervantes came through where he was standing. He turned narrowing his eyes as Cervantes came to a stop sliding on his heels "Nice trick de Leon. Does that grotesque sword do anything else?" he mocked bringing up the Oblivion this time planning to take off his head. Cervantes looked at him "You cannot kill me boy. So long as the Soul Blade exists I cannot be killed." the Oblivion pulsed lightly as he brought it back to stance "We shall see." he said.  
  
Cervantes smirked and then the energy around the Soul Blade snapped and he vanished into thin air, a stream of energy shot straight up above Kyle's head and suddenly Cervantes came down. Kyle on reaction jumped as the force of the Soul Blade came down knocking him off his feet, Cervantes was swift to move and launched a sweep kick at Kyle which sent him up into the air. He then jumped up and hammered his foot into Kyle's side sending him flying across the bare vault smashing him into the wall, despite his studies it was impossible to predict the immortal pirate's strength.  
  
He slowly tried to crawl to his feet disoriented and in pain and looked up just in time to see Cervantes moving toward him. He raised his sword barely gripped in his right hand only to have it knocked away, Kyle flailed attempting to get the inhuman maniac away from him but his attempted were slapped away at the infamous Soul Blade was driven into his side. Kyle screamed as his hands wrapped around the crudely sharpened blade cutting his hands, he could feel the flat side of the blade pushing against a few organs. He had just been sparred. The pirate wanted to torture him.  
  
Kyle growled as he held his side trying to stop the flow of blood around the Soul Edge which continued to pulse, the killer of his people spoke to him "You think I give a care about those I have killed. They are nothing but food to feed my blade. Your kind are no different so don't begin to think your special. Destroying me won't solve a thing. Now..." he grabbed Kyle by the throat squeezing hard "How did you convince Isabella to try and betray us. How have you been corrupting her to follow you?" he demanded to know.  
  
Kyle's right hand fell and his fingers hit the wall as he began losing his strength, he spoke weakly as he felt along the wall hoping to find a loose brick of something "It doesn't involve you. I haven't spoken to her before today, I chased her after she wounded one of our group and then ran off. She lead me to you, if she has hope for me to destroy you they are her own." he said as he felt a good piece of the wall chipped away and the grip of something familiar rested inside. "You've been betrayed by your own blood...accept it." Kyle demanded.  
  
Cervantes growled as he brought back Turmoil in his free hand "You worthless...!!" he shouted as he prepared to take off Kyle's head. Using the breathing room he had Kyle swung the Oblivion through the air taking a large chunk out of Cervantes's raised arm which broke through another strand of energy causing him to release his blade and fall back grasping his hand. Kyle despite blood lose reached down and was about to grab the blade when he stopped...he instead brought up the Oblivion and used the blade to pull the blade from his abdomen.  
  
He quickly then stood it up and brought the Oblivion along side of it as hard as he could which put a goodly sized cut into the blade, Kyle then picked up the blade and hurled it across the chamber toward the door where it clattered hard against the stone wall. Cervantes looked up as Kyle as he stumbled towards him bringing his blade down hard, he held up the Turmoil to hold it off but it broke right through and went into Cervantes's chest. The immortal screamed before shoving Kyle off of him, the weakened warrior stumbled back into the wall.  
  
Cervantes retreated to the doorway holding his chest which had been stabbed twice in the last few minutes leaving him in pain and weak. Fearing that Kyle just might know how to end his existence he picked up the Soul Blade and looked back "Don't expect this fling with lady luck to last boy! Next time will be very different!" he shouted before he ran off back towards the mansion holding his chest.  
  
Kyle breathed as he held his side which he was trying to patch with his jacket "Yeah...next time I'll pin you to the wall." he breathed before he fell forward bracing himself on his own sword "Damn it all." he cursed knowing he was useless for the moment. He could feel his body trying to filter out the energy released by the Soul Blade and with that kind of essence in his body it wasn't a good idea to try to continue an even battle. He could only hope Mina and the others were alright.  
  
Mina breathed as she sent another one of the Lizardmen off the side of the Nightwraith which had effectively punched a hole in the side of the ship that was based at the bottom of the cliffs, the Eternal Wind had moved off to circle around and try to draw fire from the Darkthorne. All the while the Nightwraith had dragged their opposing ship about a quarter of a mile from the shore making them unable to do much to help them.  
  
Taki shouted as she swung both of her swords in an over hand under hand formation and cut into another one of the attacking Uruk-hai. Even as the stolen ship they had rammed was threatened by the seas grasp its crew of orcs, Uruk-hai and Lizardmen continued to attack. Several of them had swam off towards the Darkthorne probably hoping to regroup. Taki could also feel it through Rekki-Maru, her cursed sword. The Soul Blade was there along with Cervantes and she was stranded so far from shore along with Mitsurugi, Mina and Jack.  
  
Naoyuki looked back towards the pennensula as he turned the wheel sharply attempting to get the speedy ship pointed back towards shore. Looking back towards the mansion one could see the ship they had rammed sinking into the sea, smoke rising from the mansion where the exploding cannonballs had hit and the Eternal Wind drawing half of the Eternal Wind's fire. Mitsurugi lowered his blade as they stopped coming and looked at Naoyuki "Hurry!" he shouted knowing that something had gone wrong.  
  
Mina breathed as she stood next to Taki the former Fu-Ma keeping her eyes one the sides of the ship, suddenly without warning Silverbolt opened his wings and left toward the mansion. Jack watched as Strife's hawk took to the wind and headed straight into the battle field "What the heck?" he murmured. Mina breathed as she felt a very uneasy feeling wash over her "Naoyuki! We need to hurry!" she shouted. Naoyuki growled as he got the wheel positioned and then began shouting orders for them to ready the sails.  
  
Siegfried breathed as he struck another one of the Uruk-hai down that charged at him, it was beginning to get much more difficult as the much more talented Lizardmen had moved around from the front and were beginning to interfere with their fighting. Sophitia was holding her ground along with Raphael but being positioned in the center of the garden wasn't exactly suiting his nerves. He didn't worry much however as Sophitia had taken up one of the short swords from a fallen Lizardman and used it in unison with the Omega Sword to keep them at bay.  
  
Siegfried lowered his blade allowing the tip to touch on the ground and breathed as they seemed to stop fighting, several of the Lizardmen suddenly ran away jumping the fense leaving the confused Uruk-hai to be struck down by the ever prepared Raphael. Sophitia dropped the second sword to the ground and lightly paced looking back at the other swordsman "What was that all about?" she asked him adjusting the armor on her shoulders. Raphael looked back "I've never seen such an organized retreat before. Something is wrong." he said turning back towards the entrance.  
  
Ivy watched ready to make her move as the Athenian turned her back towards the mansion and looked at the path her troops had taken their leave on. It was all too perfect for her. Sophitia Alexandra. The woman that shattered the Soul Blade was standing there the upper part of her back almost baring a bulls eye on it. The Valentine lightly pulsed as the energy builting in the lower part of its blade, the gem in the hilt glowed as well as she brought it up feeling that she wouldn't have to go back a failure again. Without any hesitation she hurled the blade towards Sophitia. The coil going hard, more than enough to pierce stone.  
  
Ivy closed her eyes wanting to feel the impact but unseen to her something had taken notice of her actions and had made their move and she could only contemplate this as the blade slowed down and then just plain stopped. Ivy opened her eyes wanting to know just what happened and found herself looking down to see Sophitia and Raphael starring back shocked. She brushed off memories of Raphael as they hit her, it was nothing that she had to place heavily on her mind and focused on the one who had stopped the Valentine...she couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
Holding the tip of the Valentine in his closed right hand while holding a large bladed sword in his other were the first signs. Then she noticed the fact his hair went down to his lower back, he stood around the same height and he was easily of the same build which could be told due to the fact he only wore black cloth. He looked back lightly, the features of his face the exact same but just as she was about to believe that her superior, the master of the Soul Edge had actually come to stop her he gave the blade a sharp pull and dropped her off the side of the balcony.  
  
Getting past her shock she quickly corrected herself and landed on her feet, her free hand falling to brace herself while the other attempted to pull her precious blade back to her. Normally the blade would have retracted with such force it would have torn the man's hand horribly, but it wasn't reacting at all. It was as if her blade was no longer under her command. She looked at the much younger man before her unable to get past how much he looked like the Azure Nightmare who had claimed to having no siblings in his 'past life' and yet this man was the striking image of him. The only difference was the emerald blue eyes he possessed.  
  
Ivy looked towards Raphael thankful that he did not recognize her, probably due to so many years and the multiple changes that had taken place. Turning her attention back towards her commander's look alike she growled "What have you done to my sword?!" she shouted in a mix of confusion and anger. The warrior opened his fist and the blade went back to its hilt "A blade's master and creator are two different things. It offers you its powers, not its loyalty." Siegfried explained.  
  
Ivy narrowed her eyes thinking it as a fluke and then hurled it back at the knight and willed it to something else, it curved around him and went towards Sophitia. He brought his hand down to catch the wire in the middle again. The tip of the blade flailed but still managed to snap and put a thin but deep gasp through her tunic and into her back causing her to drop to one knee in clear pain. The warrior narrowed his eyes at Ivy before he dropped the whip and rushed at her with his blade, Ivy retracted her blade and jumped from the trajectory of his blade.  
  
Valentine then wrapped around him and she pulled sharply hoping to tear him up, she was shocked when the blade swiftly released him and then returned to its hilt without leaving a scratch. He then began stepping toward her, her eyes glanced toward Sophitia. Raphael stood there with his rapier ready to slap the Valentine away, Sophitia was no longer in her range. She looked back as the young warrior approached her "Stay away." she demanded as he neared her but ever so slowly he placed his blade on his back. A hook on a leather strap went on a chain link attached to the blade's hilt "What happened to you Ms. Valentine?" he asked almost saddened.  
  
Isabella stepped back holding up the seemingly useless self named sword "What are you talking about? Who are you?" she breathed. "If you forget we met around six years ago when you were still trying to create a blade to take on the Soul Edge. A young knight appeared and placed his hand on the finest model of a living blade you had and it came to life. That knight later allowed his own darkness to be enhance by that sword into the entity called Nightmare. He was being taken over and he wanted some insurance, somebody he felt could defeat him before he was completely taken..." Ivy was now shaking as things came into view.  
  
The young man who obviously referred to himself breathed running his hand over his forehead "I should have known a weapon powered by Soul Edge would only endanger its user. That sword only serves as the link of taint between you and the Soul Edge. Please don't continue, for your own sake." he said almost begging. Sophitia was confused by these outspoken words and Raphael had an expression of shock at Ivy's identity, which was replaced by anger towards Siegfried.  
  
Ivy thought over all of this and it wasn't long before she realized exactly who he was, Nightmare hadn't expected him to live this long but somehow he had. The Valentine snapped as its energy built up again "I am not a pawn!!" she shouted before sending the blade at the fallen knight. Seigfried held up his hand and the blade curved digging into one of the mansion's stone columns. The blade swiftly retracted and was shot up towards the roof where it retracted pulling Ivy along for the ride, she had escaped them.  
  
Siegfried breathed feeling another sin upon his shoulders before he returned to his two companions, he notice Raphael's expression and was about to explain when the Frenchman shook his head "Explain yourself later. I'm going to find something to patch her with." he said running into the mansion leaving Siegfried with Sophitia. Sophitia looked up at him "With the last of your control you gave her that sword?" she questioned him.  
  
Siegfried lowered his head "Another deed of mine forsakes another." he breathed in sorrow punching his fist into the ground. Despite her pain Sophitia managed to place her hand over his own "We'll find some way to save her, even you were saved there has to be a way." she said hoping to raise his spirits somewhat. "I fear she it is of her own free will..." he said just as the doors to the house burst open. Sophitia looked back to see her sister moved down into the garden and then jump the bushes heading for the cliffs.  
  
Link grunted as the sheer force of his shadow's sword sent his back into the carved stone wall, he had been trying to fight back but it was proving useless. Everything about this was a lost cause, it was hopeless and he knew it. While Arus'Nei had somehow retained the ability to bring out his energy in attacks and magic, with the transition between the two worlds Link had been left without this ability. His body was unable to adapt to the different energies and auras around him making most of his abilities useless.  
  
Arus'Nei looked at him before sighing, while the Master Sword normally did well enough against the Shadow Swords ability to consume energy Link wasn't able to give any fight himself. It had become painfully obvious every since knocking down his friends up on the cliff, Link was truly nothing like he had been before he arrived on Earth. Link moved once again in a vain attempt to attack him and Arus'Nei retaliated by knocking his sword away then pinning him to the wall with his own. An inch of the sword's tip piercing Link's shoulder.  
  
Arus'Nei then grabbed Link and turned to hurl him to the ground next to the cliffs edge, Link painfully got to his feet gripping the Master Sword ready to fight to his end. His body was thrashed from the vain against his darker half. His head ached from the dark swords aura, and the vain attempts at calling forward his own power had left him exhausted. He couldn't even bring himself to stand up straight as his shadow positioned himself over Link holding his sword ready to bring it down and end this once and for all...he hesitated.  
  
"LINK!!" Arus turned his head and jumped back as a short sword cut through the air where he had been. One of Link's obvious companions stepped in front of Link wielding a shield and a sword clearly ready to fight him, Link growled "Cassandra...get away." he almost demanded knowing she couldn't stand against him. Cassandra however refused to move. She couldn't as he legs felt as if they had fallen numb at the sight of this creature that was just ready to finish Link off. He held his sword up the point towards Cassandra, some blood from a cut on his hand catching her eyes. She didn't flinch. She couldn't.  
  
Ivy watched from the top of the cliff knowing that if the shadow of Link didn't do something soon the rest of the White Wind would appear and she would have failed in her mission. But she trusted that the unquenchable urge to destroy Link would lead his shadow into finishing him off and bringing her some glory...her trust was however, betrayed.  
  
Arus'Nei pulled back his sword and in a swift movement replaced it in its sheath before he turned and began walking up the carved cliff. Cassandra looked up "Where are you going?!" she shouted at him feeling insulted that he would so casually walk away. Arus'Nei looked back at her "Link is far from being worth my effort as he is little girl, when I destroy him I want him to be at his peak and ready to go farther. Thanks to the haste Hyrule took in sending him here so much of his power had been numbed and hidden from him. He is not my match." he said before stepping back toward her.  
  
Link growled at him as he stopped about fifteen feet from them, Link jumped up holding one arm in front of Cassandra while the other held the Master Sword out towards his shadow. He breathed heavily clearly exhausted. Arus'Nei stepped toward Link their eyes locking hatefully "You beg for defeat Link. Just look at yourself..." he said as he came closer.  
  
"Your tired..." he came even closer "Your hurt..." even closer "Your weak..." he bridged the gap getting right in Link's face "Your pathetic..." he then struck Link across the face with the back of his fist dropping him to one knee. Link caught himself on his sword his other hand hitting the dirt, he had been completely drained from the extensive battle. Something then fell from Arus'Nei's hand something shiny, blue and beautiful. It appeared to be the hilt of Soul Calibur. Link weakly reached out taking it and placing it in his belt, Arus'Nei then began to walk away "We'll fight again when you've found a way to, as always, fix the mistakes of your 'friends'. Farewell." he said insulting all those Link believed in.  
  
Cassandra couldn't take it. He could walk away from Link but he wasn't going to walk away from her, without a thought toward the consequences Cassandra darted from behind Link and right at Arus'Nei prepared to strike him down while his back was turned. Arus'Nei turned his head one crimson eye looking back at her as it glowed like the setting sun "How reckless..." he said before he turned one hand grabbing his sword and swung. Another forceful blast of his energy went off and sent Cassandra flying back towards the defeated elven hero. Leaving only the Alpha Sword stabbed into the ground. Arus'Nei reached the top and looked back at Ivy who narrowed her eyes before raising her sword once again...  
  
Cassandra's mind blurred. Almost screaming at her as she felt her back make contact with Link and both of them fell out into mid-air, over the side of the cliff. Cassandra let out a scream as she realized how far they had to fall and opened her eyes just in time to see Link bringing up his sword apparently with his energy regained. With a hard overhead stabbing motion the Master Sword pierced the rocks bringing Link to an abrupt stop, luckily for Cassandra his right arm was available to grab her around the wrist. However such momentum cast even more pain on the elven swordsman.  
  
Link screamed out in pain as something came loose in his shoulder from Cassandra's weight, like her in Istanbul his shoulder had been pulled out of place. Link tried to pull her up but the blood seeping from his shoulder where he had been stabbed was just too painful, but he refused to let go. Cassandra looked up at him as he looked down at her with a smile, she returned it as she attempted to find a foot hold in the rocks but to no avail, the high waves had smoothed it away over the years. Cassandra felt somewhat safe as Link endured this pain for her.  
  
CRACK!!  
  
Cassandra looked up as she heard the sound of something piercing both rock and flesh followed by a pained gasp. As her eyes went up to observe Link one was splashed by a warm and thin liquid. Looking away she reached up touching her eye her fingertips coming away with crimson, she looked up just in time to see something metallic retract from his mid-section. This slammed him into the rock wall as he struggled to breath clearly something had been damaged. "Link! Oh no! Link!" she screamed.  
  
Blood seeped lightly from his mouth as he looked down at her the muscles in his arm tightening as he pulled her body up, forcing himself through the pain just enough to get her hands on the Master Sword's hilt. As she was pulled by him she saw that his abdomen had been stabbed. His stomach which soaked his tunic in his Hylian blood. Link choked and grasped as he got her hands on the sword then his own grip began to fail "No!" Cassandra attempted to get her arm around him...  
  
Suddenly there was a deafening sound from the side as several rocks were sent in her direction, the Darkthorne had fired at them. Everything then slowed down for Cassandra as one of the large rocks struck her arm the weight of it sending great pain through her arm as something snapped. The pain over whelmed her as her arm fell limp and Link fell from her grasp, she flailed to get him but it was no use. His face gazed back at her. His eyes without even a spark of life as he fell toward the infinite blue of the ocean. In one splash and crash of the waves below...he was gone. The only thing joining with the waves were Cassandra's screams.  
  
Arus'Nei watched with narrowed eyes as the Valentine retracted itself coated in Link's blood which was dusted by the rocks. Ivy looked at him suddenly fearing for her mortal life before he spoke "Everybody else has retreated correct." he said looking down toward the Darkthorne. Ivy nodded her head as a shadow passed over them, she looked up to see Diablos there in his full demon form and in all his glory. Ivy looked at Arus'Nei "Coming?" she asked. The shadow of Link narrowed his eyes before he turned and stepped away obviously planning to leave on foot.  
  
Within the next half hour everything came to a close. The Black Wind had vanished from the estate, the Darkthorne had vanished behind the sea. The Nightwraith and the Eternal Wind had came to dock on the beach and had managed to pull both a sobbing Cassandra and the Master Sword up from the side of the cliff. It had seemed like a victorious battle, until the grieving Cassandra managed to tell them the horrible truth...Link was gone.  
  
Next Chapter: Post Battle Tension  
  
(Siegfried's Voice) Too many times have I witnessed grieving after a battle won or lost. When knights and soldiers would cry and sob over the loss of a companion. Its isn't often that so many would mourn one such as Link. Those who had been touched by him shed their tears. A man must face the facts about his murderer and cast away his memories. A young man in league with his murderer struggles with himself while the only witness swears an oath of revenge upon his sword. NOTE: holds Hylian Shield over his head Before you cast your stones at me please hear me out! Please allow me to repeat that this had to happen to work towards something. I must insist that you trust me and not review with a flame on my actions or refuse to ever read this story again. This is all working towards something much bigger and trust me when I get there you'll all be happy... 


	41. Post Battle Tension

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay people this is it. By the end of this chapter one of the main characters that have been labeled will be taken from the story. I'm not going to tell you here and am going to try to keep people guessing through this chapter. But please if the results don't meet your expectations, don't stop reading because this is all working towards something big. Trust me.  
  
Another Note: For those asking yourself Arus's name is pronounced: R-us nay  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Forty: Post Battle Tension  
  
Link was gone.  
  
It was a horrible truth that the sobbing Cassandra barely managed to get out before breaking down before her sister who attempted to comfort her. Despite how casual Cassandra attempted to act, there was clearly something special between the two that neither of them had much time to realize though Siegfried and Sophitia had seen it without much effort. Talim, having regained consciousness wanted to say something to Cassandra, something comforting but felt her knees give out before she fell to the ground hitting her fist on the ground. Following Cassandra in tears. Link had been a very good friend to her in their travels, and was probably the only outsider who got along with her father.  
  
Many of the group had scattered around the mansion and the estate to look for those who had gone missing, Mitsurugi and Maxi found Drake in the attic trapped under a fallen wall. Kilik and Xianghua had found Kyle halfway down the basement's hidden tunnel and had to work to drag him back to the main hall as he was bleeding out his side pretty badly, luckily a few weeks would heal such wounds. While Mina and Kilik attempted to start sewing Kyle's wound shut like they had done with Sophitia's back prior to finding Cassandra and the Master Sword everybody felt guilty in some way or form.  
  
Yunsung looked at the sheathed Master Sword which laid beside Link's recovered shield, it was a reminder of what made him lower than Hwang, Kyle and even Mina. His lust to prove himself had made him an easy target, a little patience and he might have been able to prevent Link's death. "I'll take his things inside." he said suspecting they would be using the guilty mansion for the night as long as they were there. He took the shield by the handle inside and took the Master Sword by the top of it's sheath before moving inside.  
  
Siegfried felt even more guilt upon his shoulders as he realized his error of allowing Ivy to move from his sight after he knew that she was looking to take a life from their group. While the only witness was unable to explain through her sobs and silent screams it was obvious that Isabella Valentine was the only one who could have struck where the two were. From his hands was life given to this weapon, he possessed at least half of the blame.  
  
Taki Moyika found a surprising amount of depression building in her heart. Despite the fact she was a hardened former assassin of the Fu-Ma Syndicate who had mastered nearly every form of selective killing imaginable she couldn't even bring herself to say anything. She couldn't even begin to convince herself that life is fragile or unexpected. Because it truly wasn't fair, not after all he had done. With only words he had helped her more than she could explain, by calming the screams in her soul it might have prolonged her life. It was a priceless favor that could now, never be returned.  
  
Xianghua and Kilik were mourning as well. Though neither of them had truly gotten to know Link on a personal level he had proved that he could be trusted with their lives, they admired him for his view on the world. Maxi recalled the story he had told them back in Athens, he had come over to help his world destroy the Soul Edge before it could continue to spread. He had sacrificed any chance of being able to return to his home for the sake of a world that probably wouldn't ask for help even if it was truly needed. If nothing else, he deserved a cleaner death.  
  
Kyle winced as the searing hot needle was taken from the small flame and pierced into the flesh that outlined his wound, slowly beginning to close the wound his target had dealt him. He felt like a born fool. He had allowed himself to be lead from the mansion and away from the others following his revenge. He had been like a dog on a leash to Ivy, who had no challenge in provoking him into her trap. He had been hurt but his presence top side could have served toward Link's existence.  
  
Mina placed a hand on his back trying to calm him as he forced himself to remain still, she didn't like doing this kind of thing but Taki was the only other member with experiance and she had wandered off. She could tell that Kyle was beating himself up. She had first seen guilt in his eyes when he saw the bruises on her shoulder which still ached greatly and then again when he learned Link had been killed on the surface. It was a rare look coming from him but he truly regreted his actions. "Mina..." he suddenly murmured "I will not be so naive again." she breathed nodding before she tied off the knot.  
  
Last but not least was Raphael Sorel who was feeling a heavy degree of negative emotion. Obviously unhappy with the death of Link he was angry at Siegfried for not telling them that he had such suspicions about Isabella Valentine. His own common sense told him that he deserved to introduce his fist to the young german's face. But in his heart he knew that he had no right to be angry at Siegfried before himself. It wouldn't have made much of a difference. Even if he had been told of the relationship between Siegfried, Ivy and that sword he would have denied it being possible. He would have insisted she had some alterior motive. Some sort of plan...  
  
He would have been dead wrong. She was just as merciless as the rumors stated, she was just as twisted as the bastard that now wielded the Soul Edge. She was an assassin, a commander and a strategist of the Black Wind and her actions proved it beyond a doubt. Flambert went point first into the ground as he realized all of this "I will not be so pathetic...ever again." he breathed out accepting the fact that somebody had to take her down. Isabella Valentine. The rebellious girl and friend he had once known in much better years was essentially dead.  
  
Something had changed her. The Soul Edge or the blade which was powered by the same energy, given life by a barely sane and very desperate Siegfried. Perhaps her own ambition had gotten the best of her in the end. Be it the fault of the sword, the boy or herself something had changed her. Siegfried had already blamed himself for making the vengeful heiress of the Valentine clan his insurance, and continued to brood over it on the bench just shy of the garden. Raphael couldn't bring himself to speak a harsh word to the man, he had suffered immeasurable amounts already. He would leave him be.  
  
Sophitia looked at Siegfried as he stood out on the cliff where Link and this shadow Yunsung spoke of had been fighting before the fateful blow. His blade was stabbed point first into the ground and he was down on one knee and had his head bowed, clearly praying to his god to forgive what he believed were his faults and his sins. Knowing him, he was likely praying for Link's deed to be recognized so that his soul could find safe passage to the paradise of his world. When Siegfried mourned or prayed, it wasn't something the faint of heart was able to witness.  
  
Sophitia brushed another tear from her cheek as she looked back in the front courtyard where the group had piled the dead. Cassandra sat on the front steps with her arms holding her knees, her face buried in them. It was as if she had been shattered by what she had witnessed, it wasn't something any of them wanted to see and something that some still so field fresh should be sparred from. "I'm sorry Cass." she breathed looking down at the ground.  
  
Eventually night came and the clouds that had been billowing overhead finally began to release their burden upon the landscape, forcing the group to take shelter in the house. Save for Siegfried the group found themselves assembled in the main hall, the silence only being joined in by the hammering rain. Some of the group paced around the hall the burning fireplace their only source of light, curtsey of Mitsurugi. Like a strange omen the light gleamed upon the Master Sword and the shield which sat next to it.  
  
Sophitia gave a deep sigh as she sat down in a padded chair that was set near the fireplace, her body sank and she found herself relaxed. The Four Blades were assembled on the stairs along with Talim, the trio was also with them. Taki was in the corner holding the oak box that contained their collected shards, they weren't about the leave it on the ship with the likes of Jack, Stephan and Michael. Not that they weren't trustworthy. Mitsurugi sat by the warmth of the fire while Cassandra remained silent in the next chair. Mina breathed "So what do we do now?"  
  
Taki looked up holding the rune sealed box against her stomach "There is nothing we can do. Siegfried suspected that the Soul Calibur shard would be here. We've searched this whole mansion and found nothing. We don't have any other leads from here." Mitsurugi nodded his head as Taki pointed this out. Cassandra gripped her legs as she curled up remembering every last detail from when she moved to assist Link to the point where he was ultimately struck down by Ivy's strange weapon...she then remembered when the shadow taunted Link...he gave it to him.  
  
"Link has it." Cassandra suddenly murmured seemingly out of nowhere. Everybody looked at her as she stood up and stepped towards the door where she stopped and took a breath before turning around still recovering "That shadow that attacked him dropped it at his feet after it was obvious Link could not continue fighting. He out matched Link clearly so I have no idea why he would surrender the shard...But Link had it with him when he fell from those cliffs...he probably still does." she said before she fell back against the wall.  
  
Xianghua lightly swallowed as she realized this "Are you telling me that a piece of the Soul Calibur is at the bottom of the sea by now?" she asked the younger Athenian. Sophitia shook her head "I doubt it. Don't forget that the Soul Calibur can move of its own accord and will probably move towards the one it has selected. It will probably end up on a shoreline somewhere...think you can continue tracking it?" Sophitia asked Xianghua. The Chinese seemed reluctant at first but eventually nodded her head.  
  
Kyle took a breath which pulled at the stitches in his side before speaking "We're going to have to remain here for the night. Give it some time to be carried, if our theory is correct that is...I think we all need some time to rest." Kyle said, it was probably the first compassionate thing that he had said when the entire group was present. Talim nodded her head taking heavy breaths every few moments "He's right. Going out in this weather and in this kind of condition it would be reckless." Yunsung nodded "Speaking of which where are Siegfried and Drake." he asked noticing neither were present.  
  
The rain poured hard as he looked over the ocean the rain soaking his cloths and his hair causing his dark blond bangs to be pasted against his brow. Drake had been doing this for over a year and he had never been on one of their assignments this long, it had been just over two months since he had ran into Talim during his fail attempt to retrieve that creature's shard of Soul Edge. Learning that they had been traveling with the White Wind changed everything, he knew they had shards if he could just get away with at the least three shards there was a good chance they would let him go. But he was beginning to believe that they had no intention of it.  
  
He breathed as he reached up to his neck where he wore a necklace made from a simple stand of leather and looked at the medallions on it. It was of the Wind Village and it symbolized him as a warrior of the winds, it would have been the badge of a guardian had he not disobeyed their laws. There was another necklace as well, one tied from a small silver chain. It was the emblem of his teacher that he had kept hidden from the Fu-Ma assassin after their talk on the deck nearly a month ago, obviously in Japanese kanji it translated into 'Hitkiri' the name of the one who taught him. Taki's love interest.  
  
"Yugo...what would you have me do?" he asked thinking about everything that he had been ordered to do, he couldn't help but wonder if he was in the wrong about all of this. Being defeated by Ivy had its penalties, he was her servant and her personal guard weather he like it or not. But because he knew that Nightmare had ambitions that would effect the entire world he had to do something to make up for his past mistakes and swore to never disobey her, in exchange for the safety of a small, insignificant village in the fields of Southeast Asia. He had been thinking about the village. Now he only thought about Talim.  
  
Link was dead and he knew that it was going to happen to somebody. Link had proven himself to be a good friend and a great man despite the fact he was not from the world they all walked upon, he was too humane to be human. All he had to do was consider the time it would take to move from the Wind Village to Athens and it would prove obvious that Link and Talim had been relatively close in travel. Their friendship was evident very often and now he was gone, and she was crushed which made him wonder. If I were to betray her now...what would that do to her?  
  
Drake had seen too many times what deep rooted depression and shock of loss could do to a person, he had seen it too often while traveling with Yugo. He feared that figuratively stabbing Talim in the back would be just as good as doing it for real. she trusted him more than anybody else he could think of, and it hurt him. It pierced his heart like a thousand tiny daggers tearing away at his soul...if he could not somehow spare her...was it even worth it for a village that probably still hated and despised him? He sank to his knees and struck the ground convinced ever more that Fate was a bitch.  
  
Getting to his feet he looked back to see Siegfried heading back towards the mansion, Drake reached up to his head rubbing his temples as he placed his hands on his swords. He knew that when he did have to tear the Soul Edge shards from the group it would have to be swift and decisive, it was obvious that a few of them were suspicious of him specifically Yunsung. He knew that just grabbing that box and running like mad wouldn't help, with Taki around there weren't many places he'd be able to run she wouldn't be able to chase him. He had to wait, hopefully things would work to his favor.  
  
It was surprising how easily some of the group took their slumber in the mansion that still reeked of the cannonballs that rocked it earlier. The group was still assembled in the main hall not wanting to venture back into the house during such a storm, they feared a few stragglers might still be in hiding. A dripping Siegfried had his back leaned up against the door, his eyes closed in sleep though it was known he could be ready in the time of a waking wink. Drake was seated up on top of the stairs also drip drying from the rain. When demanded what he was doing he claimed he was attempting to read the winds, get a hint of where the shard is.  
  
Mitsurugi still sat by the fireplace with his sword leaning against his shoulder, Taki sat with her legs crossed up on one of the chairs. Their obvious ability to go days without sleep apparent as a few of the others were getting groggy at such a late hour. Kyle leaned against the railing of the stairs, Mina's head was against his shoulder as she slept. He remained awake. Xianghua looked exhausted as she had been keeping her senses constantly on the Soul Calibur shard that was somewhere in the ocean, her eyelids seemed to massively gain weight and attempted to drag down as she tried to plot a course on where it would go. Kilik sat next to her as well there to catch her as he energy left her and she fell against him.  
  
Yunsung breathed as he looked around the room, a good majority of them were silent and he decided to go ahead and say it "I'd really hate to bring this up but we need to discuss something. Who is going to be holding onto that sword." he said looking over at the Master Sword next to Mitsurugi. Sophitia leaned forward placing her chin on her hands "I've no experiance with longer swords, it would more than likely weigh me down. Raphael, what about you?" she asked towards the Four Blades member.  
  
Raphael shook his head before speaking "It is a double edged long sword. I've practiced some but its weight would not adhere to my style. Kyle, you have experiance wielding two blades. How about you?" he said as he continued polishing Flambert. Kyle looked up from his place on the stairs as he was made this offer Oblivion was a longer sword but the weight with one hand still gave him difficulty. He shook his head "Sorry, it wouldn't work...and I hardly knew Link." he explained before falling silent again.  
  
Yunsung breathed as he paced around the carpet "Mitsurugi has used single sided Japanese blades most of his life and Xianghua's blade is much lighter than the Master Sword. What do we do with it then?" he asked looking up. Kilik looked up at Yunsung before speaking "Have you used that blade all your life?" he questioned one hand holding Kali-Yuga. Yunsung looked down at the sheathed Korean blade and nodded his head before Kilik made a suggestion he really didn't expect "Their weight and balance should be relatively equal. Why don't you use it?" he suggested.  
  
"Me?!" Yunsung gasped jumping back a step "Look Kilik, I know I can come off as an arrogant jerk but I really don't think I should. Hell I spent nearly three weeks pestering Link about his ears. I'm probably the last person he'd want using his sword...and I've already proven I'm no match for his shadow." he said remembering that he had been knocked to the ground in one swipe. He didn't have the kind of strength to stand up to such a frightening power. The group looked at him as if requesting with their eyes before he sighed "Fine. Whatever." he said approaching the sword.  
  
Yunsung stepped to the fireplace where Mitsurugi stood next to the sword and picked it up near its hilt feeling a good amount of power through the sheath. Feelings a little more confident he took hold of the handle and pulled...it didn't move an inch. Yunsung pulled against and found an amount of great difficulty, it was like the blade was forged to the sheath. Sophitia raised an eyebrow, she would have laughed if it hadn't been unexpected. Yunsung looked up at the woman who had replaced the blade in its sheath "Cassandra? It there a lock or something on this thing?" he asked.  
  
Cassandra shook her head as she stepped up still being affected by everything she had been through "Not to my knowledge. It went in like any other sword." she said as she took it and tried. Cassandra put a good amount of force behind the pull and the blade was taken from the sheath without any true effort, she quickly brought her hand around to hold it before her face. Yunsung blinked as Cassandra held the dimly glowing blade, she looked up and down the blade as if in a light trance. "Uh Cassandra?" Yunsung questioned. Cassandra snapped out of it and attempted to pass over the sword.  
  
The moment Yunsung got a hold of the handle and Cassandra released it, the tip of the blade gained an additional hundred pounds to it and was driven into the floor. Yunsung attempted to hoist it up only getting it a foot before it fell against "What the Hell is going on?! This thing weighs more than Requiem!" he shouted at his inability to so much as lift the mighty blade, let alone wield it. Cassandra stepped up to him placing her hand on it and took it away from him holding it at her side as if it weighed no more than it should have. Yunsung was speachless.  
  
Sophitia quickly made a theory understanding "It seems that it truly is a type of spiritual sword, otherwise it wouldn't be so selective of its user. But what is the basis for its choice?" she questioned, the gears in her mind grinding to think of an explanation. Cassandra flashed back to the moment after Link had been impaled and remembered his exact movements that kept her from falling as well "He placed it in my hands..." she murmured "Back on the cliff...he lifted my hands to grip his sword before he fell."  
  
Kyle nodded as he began to understand "He entrusted his sword to you, it seems. I haven't seen anybody else be able to so much as touch that sword let alone wield it. That or it has picked you of its own accord." Cassandra tried to absorb all of this wondering what she had that could possibly compare to Link. She remembered the story he had told her much earlier, how the sword had chosen him upon his seventeenth birthday. Why would it choose her? And why would Link entrust it to her? Did he really believe in her that much?  
  
She breathed as she moved up the stairs stepping past Drake taking the sword along with her, she entered the library where she had first saw Arus'Nei and clinched her fist. He couldn't stand the thought that Link was dead while that creature continued to live, she looked at the Master Sword which she held in her hands and found herself making up her mind. She would not allow Arus'Nei to think he had gotten away with it, the next time he appeared before her he would not survive. Even if she had to take him down herself. This was a promise.  
  
The storms and the night pasted relatively quickly and the next morning the groups were gathering on their two ships, a missing space by the entry way near the railing, where a certain ominous member of their group would gaze out over the sea. Several took notice and moved on as they made their calculations, the shard had somehow stopped moving after a single night. The current was strong and so was the storm, Xianghua deducted it was on the shores of Germany. With this in mind they prepared their sails and moved on...back on the journey.  
  
Next Chapter: Unlikely Allies

(Kyle's Voice) With our fallen allies blade in Cassandra's possession we move south to Germany where it seems the shard has landed. The younger Athenian reminds me of myself, starved for a vengeance that might not be worth following. As we arrive many things change and confusion sets in again. That is until somebody I never expected to see again comes into the scenario followed by another even more unlikely ally...both speaking of a powerful being that came through the area. Seeking the Soul Edge shards.  
  
NOTE: This next part could go so many ways it isn't even funny. There are a few character that have yet to be introduced or have gone missing and you can probably guess who these two are. I'll continue writing if you guys continue reviewing me. This is building to something big and I can't wait till I'm at it, but I can only get there if you review.


	42. An Unworthy Death

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: I have started college so updating will be a little more random than before. Sorry guys but life is a constant pest to a genius like me.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Forty-One: An Unworthy Death  
  
The first day back at sea had gone relatively well as the Nightwraith and the Eternal Wind had managed to get away from the coast of England without incident and were now headed towards the mainland. Following the way that the Soul Calibur's last master had pointed out to them they found themselves heading for Germany, Siegfried's homeland and where the Soul Edge was shattered. The ships had been pretty silent and some of the group was concerned about Cassandra and Talim, both of which had altogether stopped speaking. It was understandable. With a two day trip between countries they would be scanning the coast by the next night. For the shard...and Link.  
  
It was night and many of the group had taken their slumber after lowering the sails and anchoring the ship in the middle of the sea, ready to pick up their journey the next day. Many of them were exhausted from the emotional and physical pain they had suffered from the last battle and many found sleep easy to achieve. Cassandra possessed no such luck and sleep eluded her. It was as simple as that. Fear of her dreams kept the younger of the Alexandra sisters distracted from sleep and she felt no urge to take her slumber as an urge had burned her fatigue away. She wanted to take up and try Link's sword.  
  
The howling wind blew over the deck of the Eternal Wind as they hung in the middle of the sea anchored to the unseen rocks below. Cassandra closed the door behind her and stood there in the wind for a few seconds a few strands of her hair falling around her eyes. Slowly the longer sword was drawn from its housing and brought to her side as she attempted to imitate Link's basic stance, lacking a shield it wasn't much. The Master Sword was indeed heavier than her own and she had to compensate for the extra foot or two on the blade as well. She gave it one swing through the air attempting to get a feel for the longer blade before she began a basic Athens Style kata.  
  
Every swing came with excellent power, every thrust was with a punishing force and every twist was with polished grace...but every maneuver and every swipe took its tool on Cassandra's energy as she could not effectively perform the maneuvers and keep graceful without wearing on her strength. She discovered this through tension in her wrist and fatigue in her arm, both coming after her amateur attempts at wielding the sword. She murmured a curse as she replaced it in its sheath "Maybe I should let Yunsung use it." she breathed wondering if she could entrust it to another as Link had entrusted it to her.  
  
She began to walk back inside feeling disappointed in herself when a voice spoke up from the shadows "The Athenian style revolve around speed, not strength. You cannot so easily incorporate such a weapon into the style, you need to adjust your practice first." Cassandra looked up to see Siegfried standing there in the doorway with a standard looking double edged sword at his side "Siegfried...I'm not worthy either." she said as she attempted to step by before Siegfried suddenly snatched her arm and twisted her to look at him. He didn't look very pleased.  
  
He looked at her hard and long clearly disappointed in her short lived attempts "So your just going to give up and pass along something that was specifically entrusted to you? Are you really so weak that you don't know how to improvise? Are you sure you are Sophitia's younger sister?" he asked her oblivious that he had been aiming at a tense nerve. Cassandra growled as she pulled her arm away and slapped Siegfried hard across the face sending him lightly to the side "I am not my sister!" she shouted angrily at him before realizing that he wouldn't know what she had put up with.  
  
Siegfried lightly rubbed his cheek before looking at her, she began to break down "I'm sorry...its just people are constantly expecting me to follow every move that she has made in life. Wanting me to be the perfect lady and such..." she gave a huff as she cut herself off. Siegfried chuckled before stepping out onto the deck "While such a role may work for your sister, but to be honest it really doesn't suit you. Your determination is a fire that has seems to have been lost in the last few days. You say your not worthy? Why is that?." he said looking at the Master Sword.  
  
Cassandra placed her hand on the hilt looking down on it her chin being pointed toward her chest as she looked down "I shouldn't be using it. I have no experiance using a full length sword I don't have the proper training or skill to properly..." Siegfried cut her off as he raised one hand to his forehead rubbing slightly as if under stress.  
  
"Worth is not measured by what kind of training you have, it is measured by what kind of person you are. If Link didn't think you were worthy I'm sure he would not have left you a sword that gives the Soul Edge pain. Do you want to take a wild guess on what my style is Cassandra?" he asked her. Cassandra flashed back as much as she could to the days they were heading for England, during the time that Siegfried had spared with her sister, Kilik and Xianghua with both the sword he carried now and the Requiem.  
  
Cassandra looked up and admitted that she had no clue who taught him "Nobody taught me a thing about the blade." Cassandra looked up shocked, for one to train himself and get so far in the trade he had selected was unheard of. Siegfried stepped forward "Determination means everything in a battle, without determination you cannot even pick up a knife much less a sword. I want you to stop doubting yourself and stop blaming yourself...Link wanted you to hold this sword in his place." Cassandra looked down at the sapphire blue handle of the sword disappointed in herself.  
  
Cassandra then looked up before speaking "Alright Siegfried you win...but it isn't like I know where to start. I'm sure you had other people to mimic when you were still training with that big blade of yours." Siegfried lightly raised a hand to his chin before speaking "Well you obviously have no intention of going back to sleep so I will teach you what I can. I suppose I owe Sophitia that much." he said before drawing his own sword. Cassandra didn't know how to feel about this but slowly drew the Master Sword again this time taking it in both hands instead of just one. Nodding her head Siegfried stepped towards her lowering his own sword slowly, Cassandra thrust the Master Sword up...  
  
The suns first rays caught the side of Cassandra's vision as she stepped forward and took another swing with the Master Sword. Everything had been going up and down the last six hours as Siegfried volunteered his time to teach her how to use the sword which started off with sparring to see what she knew off instinct. He then taught her a few other maneuvers which she became accustomed to very quickly, she learned how to block and slowly began pulling together her own style. Now it was down to a simple goal trying to get through Siegfried's defense.  
  
The Master Sword went through the air pushing Siegfried's sword out of the way before she attempted a strike at his chest, he moved back and attempted to push her blade down. Being fair with his right arm he kept his strength in lower amounts enough for her to recover from, Cassandra let out another shout as she pushed up and then struck Siegfried's blade up and then moved hard grabbing his wrist with one hand and placing the flat of the Master Sword against his bear chest. Cassandra breathed deeply pretty tired after nearly and hour. Siegfried nodded to her before she released his wrist.  
  
Cassandra sat on the edge of the railing the glistening sweat dripping freshly off her forehead as the sun signaled the start of a new day "I can't believe I learned so much in one night..." she murmured. Siegfried put his sword away before speaking in his ever serious tone "You place your self doubt aside and allowed your determination to burn. Your original style was required correct?" he questioned remembering that Sophitia and Cassandra had both been taught long before she was sent on her first hunt for Soul Edge.  
  
Cassandra nodded to the question "Yeah, but I wanted to be more like my sister back then, so it wasn't like I didn't want to learn. Siegfried I have a question if you don't mind me asking, why are you so against Yunsung using the blade?" she asked him which caused him to pace around, a sign he was trying to put his thoughts to less insulting words.  
  
Siegfried finally spoke after a few seconds of pondering "Hong Yunsung's arrogance combined with the Master Sword's power would only end up getting him killed. I sat down with Sophitia and Kyle the other night and got everybody's stories. His is the most pathetic. He is here searching for the Soul Edge because some Korean hero doesn't recognize him. While most would train harder or do more he goes and makes it personal. He sets out after the one goal one of the worlds most seasoned warriors could not achieve. The Soul Edge. Sad isn't it?" he said looking out over the ocean.  
  
Cassandra looked with him now able to see what Sophitia always saw in him. He was very deep and complicated as well as blunt and to the point but it wasn't like he didn't have a heart. Truly Yunsung was not worthy to wield the Master Sword not if he was going to be using it for his own personal gain, the only purpose it would serve under her would be to strike Arus'Nei down. Siegfried eventually headed back inside "The others can have the day. I'm going to sleep." he said before heading inside. Cassandra followed knowing she'd have to thank him by developing what she had learned until the blade was put into true use.  
  
Once again the winds were there to aid the seekers as they found themselves approaching the mainland as the sun began to sink slowly into the west. Siegfried could tell without effort that it was the coastline of Germany, the country side never changed and neither did the ports which could be seen as they pulled in. It was another nameless port that Siegfried knew he had probably visited at some point during his existence as a mercenary, but the buildings and people would all be faded memories of a carefree life he couldn't just pick up on.  
  
As the ships pulled into port and they tossed their ropes overboard to the awaiting men who worked they set their sites to the future. Once Xianghua got herself together she would be able to scan the country side for the next shard and probably whatever was left of Link. The groups all gathered outside as Xianghua and Kilik remained on the Eternal Wind, relocating the energy of the Soul Calibur required both room and patience. Other mortal energies near Xianghua would cause some interference in her meditation, so the others left save for Kilik whom stayed there in interest of her safty.  
  
Cassandra was very nervous. She had watched Link fall from that cliff and really wasn't sure if she could just look for body his body and the shard. Everybody was silent, not a word was spoken as they waited for Xianghua's deduction on where to head. Eventually there were foot steps on the gang plank as the two of them descended onto the dock to join them, Yunsung quickly asked what everybody else was thinking. Xianghua looked at the ground before speaking "Somebody has the shard." everybody looked up at Xianghua in shock "It has been moving. The signal is well over thirty miles away from here by now." she announced.  
  
Almost in unison everybody questioned how it could have possibly gotten so far away in such a short amount of time. Xianghua held up her hands screaming that she didn't know managing to keep the focus off of her and on their own thoughts. Mitsurugi looked back towards the town which was quite large and took notice that there were a few buildings that had been damaged somehow "This place is a fairly large town, it would be wise to take a look around and see if anybody saw anything suspicious. There is a great number of possibilities to what could have happened so lets ask around." everybody agreed.  
  
Taki looked up over the town before speaking able to see there was a residential area nearby "I suppose we're going to have to give chase on whoever has the shard either way, Mitsurugi and I will go and secure some horses for the group. Maxi and Kilik should try and make a deal with the docks proprietor." the named few nodded in agreement. While the likes of Sophitia and Mitsurugi owned their own horses the rest of the group normally took their time to rent them in towns when they needed to get over distances.  
  
Sophitia Alexandra spoke up next "Me, Siegfried and Raphael will go to the south end of town and gather supplies for both ourselves and the crew that will stay with the ship. Somebody should go over to the merchant's district and see if they can find anybody who knows anything about the Soul Calibur shard. With any luck one might have sold it as a washed up trinket." Cassandra instantly nodded her head saying that she'd make the trip, Mina stepped up placing her hand on Cassandra's shoulder "Me and Kyle will go with her. I don't trust the looks of this place." she pointed out. With this said they left.  
  
Kilik leaned against a pole that came up from the floor of the dock and lightly breathed "Cassandra's mind is wandering." he murmured to himself. Xianghua looked back obviously hearing and understanding his words, he continued "Cassandra is holding on to any possibility that the man in possession of the shard is the same man that brought it here. She is balancing her mind and spirit on the line that falls between being hopeful and being delusional." Xianghua looked up as well watching the three groups wander off.  
  
Drake and Talim sat on the sides of the Nightwraith as they had been traveling with the Four Blades once again to save room onboard the Eternal Wind. Yunsung had been sending glares at Drake ever since the mansion, he and Talim were still reflecting on their earlier days and it seemed that every time Talim laughed Talim would send him a glare of ice. It was obvious the Korean didn't trust him do to the relationship he and Talim shared. He needed to get suspicion off his back, but he knew his time was running out.  
  
He somehow had to secure that box or at least capture a few shards of the Soul Edge. So far it was a no go as Sophitia, Taki or Siegfried constantly had control of that box when the ship was docked. He knew he couldn't possibly please them with only one shard, it wouldn't have been enough after over two months of being away. The original plan was one month for one shard, he'd have to do better or else they might catch thought he had almost betrayed them. He knew that he would have to make his move soon, before they decided to sever their bargain.  
  
The merchant's district was absolutely nothing like Cassandra had expected, she couldn't blieve the amount of damage to several of the buildings as she walked through the small port town, trailing behind were Kyle and Mina both were also curious as to how the area was so busted up. Holes were punched into the sides of buildings, there was evidence of small fires that had burned out and everybody seemed to be working towards repairing the buildings and anything else that could be fixed in the area. The energy of the air was thick in the areas where the damage was worse and oddly enough the Master Sword seemed to pulse in its sheath in response. They soon found what they were looking for: The city's local trade station which sold and bought most anything that could be considered worthy of a price. Mina was confident that any propriater of such a place would feel no guilt in robbing a dead man on the shore line, especially if in his eyes it was just a piece of metal. The theory that a traveler had perhaps purchased it of found it himself and then moved deeper into Germany was the theory they were following. Should that be the case a little information would spare Xianghua from stretching her mind and senses to their limits to track it down.  
  
"I saw nothing of the sort!" the shop keeper responded as he was asked such a thing. It wasn't the response they had expected for inquired about the Soul Calibur shard, but he seemed pretty irritable as he was repairing a fist sized hole on the side of the wall. As the hammer struck another nail the proprietor looked back at them "I only sell weapons, armor and traveling goods. I don't buy traveler's trinkets or jewelry, you want that you can go forty miles to west. Ostenburg is your best bet for something like that." he said before hammering in another nail.  
  
Cassandra breathed before she thought of something else just as the man prepared another nail "Tell me sir, did you by chance see anybody wearing strange cloths. Somebody that had long, pointed ears." the man gasped and in reaction brought the hammer down on his hand. He fell back swearing in German as Mina stepped forward asking if he was alright, he only shot all three of them a piercing glare "You know that forsaken demon that did all of this to our town?! Get the Hell out of my store!!" he demanded wielding the hammer as if it was a weapon.  
  
Kyle stepped forward holding up his hands as if to ward off the blow wanting to confirm that it wasn't either this shadow Yunsung spoke of or one of the Black Wind's two mages "Wait?! Can you tell us what he looked like. If there is a chance our friend is alive, he wouldn't have done this." the shopkeeper shrugged as he admitted that he wasn't around when all of it went down. He explained that a traveling fighter had been in the town when a demon stepped from the coast and ended up in a pretty unmatched fight with the townspeople. "The fighter chased the demon off but was wounded, he is recooperating at the Inn. Now unless you plan on buying anything please go, I have work to do." he said. They thanked him and left.  
  
Along the way across town to the rather well financed Inn the group ran into Taki's group who all seemed to be getting the horses. They quickly made arrangements to meet outside town being that after a fight recently broke loose they were on the look out for suspicious looking people. The kind of diversity that was among the group made it clear that it wouldn't be easy to get everywhere in the world. The three agreed to Taki's terms and moved on towards the building where this warrior was apparently recovering.  
  
"We'd like to meet the man who defended this town." Mina said as sweetly as she could to the Innkeeper who told them that he was staying in the room up the stairs and to the left. With this information they headed up and Mina knocked on the door, a voice spoke up asking what they wanted. "We want to ask you about the one that you fought." she replied. The voice gave a deep sigh as if he truly didn't have time for such nonsense and then begged them entrance. Kyle had figured that the town had wished to reward whoever had been gutsy enough to take on a demon that had done such damage. Of course when he saw the man he was anything but happy. "You?!"  
  
The amazing shape despite the late age, the gauntlets that rested on the small table and the abnormal hair style gave him away almost at once to the Korean who went for his blade, his hawk jumping from his shoulder. The old man who had been standing next to the windows, his wounds covered by bandages raised his first despite the fact they lacked their armor prepared to fight. Mina brought up her weapon "Kyle! What are you doing?!" she half shouted at him. Kyle narrowed his eyes at the old man "This is the crooked old bastard that attacked me in India." he growled. Mina looked at the nameless old man who huffed lightly.  
  
The old man lowered his hands before explaining himself "I apologize if you took that personally, but when you indulge yourself in the art of fighting, become my age and have achieved so much you tend to seek out worthy challenges. It was a friendly contest, I had no intention on it being such a blow to your ego." Cassandra looked at Kyle reinforcing Mina's wishes. He slammed his blade back into his sheath as Silverbolt dropped to perfect on one of the warrior's removed gauntlets. "Just who the hell are you?" Kyle murmured figuring he should know the name of this conflict hunter.  
  
The old man sat down on the mattress before speaking "My name is Heihachi, if it is any of your business. I am what some would call a nomad. I live and thrive in the world that is combat, I seek out a worthy challenge. To estimate myself among this world and the next." he said with a great amount of pride. Kyle had never heard of him but had learned of his power first hand "By the looks of you, it seems that you lack one notch on those things. Care to tell us about it?" he said looking towards the gauntlets that Silverbolt perched on.  
  
The old man revealed as Heihachi took a seat back on the mattress rubbing his side, another hand lightly running across the hawk's head showing he ment no harm "Yes the one that I fought with in the trader's street. Not only was he a gifted fighter but he was far beyond human limits. It is amazing how it all happened. One moment he is walking through the streets, I noticed him and payed his abnormalities no mind. The people around me however attacked him thinking he was some sort of a demon. He defended himself." he rubbed his side "If you were down there you probably noticed the damage. I managed to chase him off but amazingly not a single life was lost in his rampage." he explained.  
  
Cassandra stepped forward her mind blown by what all had been said and she drew the Alpha Sword "Cut to it old man! What was so abnormal about him? What coaxed the villagers into attacking him?!" she demanded. Heihachi raised a hand pushing down the blade that was before him "Calm yourself child. If you must know the differences I could spot were a pair of ears, they were long and pointed outward. A strange power emanated around him, it gave a very ominous feeling, then there were those eyes. I have never seen such piercing eyes in all my life." he breathed out. Cassandra breathed as the eyes were brought up "Arus'Nei." she murmured before she just turned and left.  
  
Kyle turned around lightly "Cass...what was that all about?" he questioned. Heihachi stood to his feet stepping back over to the window looking out over the streets "It has been a long time since I was young so I really cannot determine that. This creature was clearly not of this world. If your going to give chase he went south towards the mountain region. You might want to start there." he said raising a hand to shoo them out of the room. Mina nodded her thanks before leaving. Kyle looked back before he moved to leave but was halted by the old man's demanding voice.  
  
Kyle Strife turned to look over his shoulder at the man "I don't have time for a rematch old timer." he said but then noticed the man approaching him. The man out stretched a hand and drew the Oblivion half way from its sheath stopping just as Kyle hand gripped his in protest. He spoke "When you draw this blade or so much as place your hand on it, I feel an updraft of energy within you. Something remains missing however, like a sword without a hilt or a horse without a saddle." Heihachi released the blade "Never mind. Please be on your way." hesitantly a confused Kyle left. Heihachi gave a light smile, the existence of such people in a world that would eventually go soft was refreshing  
  
Around an hour later Cassandra and company found themselves just on the rocky outskirts of the town where the others had also completed their own chores. Stephan, Michael, Jack and Naoyuki would be remaining with the ships was always there to keep the dock workers from trying to pawn them off after a two weeks time. Taki had collected five extra horses for the group while Sophitia and Mitsurugi had their own at their disposal. Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi were still restocking the ship with supplies and Sophitia, Siegfried and Raphael were getting any tools they might need in their travels. Maxi had actually decided to follow them this time and was busy preparing his things as he had hardly left the ship. His only goal was Astaroth. He didn't care about the Black Wind or Soul Edge, he just wanted the creature that destroyed his crew so long ago.  
  
While the group awaited the arrival of the two trios Cassandra and company had explained to them what they had learned and they were left attempting to figure out what it ment. "It could be that male mage from Link's mentioned, the one traveling with the Black Wind." Talim said recollecting just a fragment of the information Link had brought with him. A number of them nodded including the Four Blades who had also heard of the two sorcerers under Nightmare's control. Cassandra breathed as it kept coming back to mentioning Link's name, Taki took notice and shook her head in pity of the poor girl.  
  
It wasn't long before another voice spoke up, surprisingly it wasn't Cassandra that had a positive message for the group "This goes against my nature but I believe it is Link himself." everybody turned to face Kyle who stood next to one of the horses brushing the dust off its fur "After all I've heard you can never make a prediction with that man." he explained. Drake took a breath "No offense to you but that isn't possible. He did take it in the stomach after all, no mortal could have survived that kind of wound. Much less falling into the...Ah!" there was a sharp snapping sound as Drake was sent slamming into the grass. Everybody looked up as Drake was silenced.  
  
Cassandra stood over him now with the heel of her boot pushing hard into his chest "SHUT UP!" she screamed before stepping off "Stop forcing it on us!" she screamed at him. Drake reached up holding a hand over his chest which felt like it had been struck with a hammer, Cassandra breathed as she regained her composure and then stepped away from Drake as he forced himself to his feet. He spoke sour towards the emotional Athenian "Forgive me for being blunt but come back to the real world!" everybody was surprised at Drake attitude. He stood up and stepped away from the group clearly angry, they allowed him to leave. It was best to separate his negative thought from Cassandra.  
  
Desperate to change the subject before Cassandra lashed out again, Yunsung protested "I don't think it was one of Link's kind." everybody looked at him "I mean this old guy only said pointed ears, right? It doesn't mean it isn't just another that was too weak to control the Soul Edge." everybody nodded at this figuring it possible. Talim agreed with Yunsung "Something like that poor creature we fought in the middle east. He had astonishing power beyond anything I've ever seen." she said. The Four Blades nodded remembering.  
  
"I say that it is none other than Arus'Nei!" everybody looked up as Cassandra made her declaration. Yunsung and Talim both questioned who she spoke of, Cassandra breathed as she reached up over her shoulder gripping the gilt of the Master Sword in raw anger "Arus'Nei. Dark Link. Whatever you want to call him, he is the only one that would have stepped into this town expecting a fight. We have yet to even see either of those two mages and none of us have detected any of Soul Edge's aura around here. It couldn't have been anyone else." Cassandra said. Taki and Mitsurugi nodded. They had not seen this creature but had heard much from Drake, Talim and Yunsung.  
  
A voice suddenly chuckled surprising all of them including Taki who whirled around in shock of not sensing anything "A well formulated analysis little girl..." they all turned and looked up the rock wall they were waiting at to spy a figure bathed in shadows sitting at the top as a child might on a fence. Everybody's hands moved to their weapons as the sunlight caught the man's face which revealed a pair of burning crimson eyes "But I'm afraid that I did no such thing." Cassandra was at first stepping back before her body tensed and she took a step forward reaching back to draw the Master Sword "Arus'Nei!" she screamed.  
  
Taki and Mitsurugi both found themselves in a single second of awe as they examined the resemblance and various other physical attributes of the creature before him "This is the shadow of Link?" Taki questioned. Arus'Nei moved his eyes to her gazing over the short cut emerald kimono on her frame "That is probably the only title I can stand. The only one that places my brother and myself like two sides of a coin. We are one another's reflections in a mirror depicting shadow and light. Still I'm disappointed he came out so weak on this side." he said scratching his head casually.  
  
Cassandra growled holding up the sword "You bastard!" she screamed before attempting to start up the rock. Arus'Nei shook his head before he turned and back flipped off the rock rolling over twice before striking the group on his feet before the group, they all prepared themselves. He chuckled looking back at Cassandra "You can all relax. I have no intention of fighting any of you, in fact I'd like to tell you where my dear brother is." "Your full of it!" Kyle snapped at him drawing out Oblivion. Cassandra at this point rushed at him from behind and he gave a light sigh.  
  
Arus'Nei twisted as she brought the Master Sword down at him. His right arm gave around catching her wrist and then forcing the blade into the soil, his other blade caught her around the neck and he backed up forcing her away from the Master Sword. Arus'Nei watched as Cassandra pulled at his arms attempting to get herself free "You almost remind me of another he fell for. My poor brother always was a fool for aggressive blonds." he chuckled. Cassandra growled "Liar! You are not his brother!" she shouted.  
  
Arus'Nei chuckled as he pulled her back against his chest, casting glares at the rest of the group demanding they stay back "If I wasn't and he is truly dead then you must all be hallucinating because according to the scholars, I should have followed him in death." he explained. Cassandra heard the words and slowed down. Suddenly Arus'Nei felt a pressure on his back as a pair of arms came around his neck and somebody pressed their knee to his back. He caught traces of blond hair blowing in the wind "Release her or I will snap you like a twig." a male voice demanded.  
  
The shadow of Link released Cassandra who stumbled away before slamming his elbow hard into his captor forcing his grip to fall away lightly. He then grabbed his arm flipping up onto his shoulder and kicking off back up onto the rock, the other members of the White Wind had appeared apparently done with their chores. The fallen knight that resembled Nightmare quickly jumped to his feet grabbing his sword which had been stabbed into the ground. Cassandra rubbed her windpipe before looking up at him "What are you talking about?! What do you mean you'd follow Link in death?!" Cassandra shouted at Arus'Nei.  
  
Arus'Nei stood up pacing along the top of the ten foot wall "It is rather simple. The scholars of Hyrule believe that I was split off from Link, made up of his now almost non-existent inner darkness. They believe that some poor desert dwelling mad man created me as a last ditch effort to gain vengeance on Link." Arus'Nei took a seat on the rock looking down at the group who were all on the defensive "They believe we share the same life force and strengths. So if he were to die, I would die. That is why they kept me alive so long after Link defeated me the first time. They didn't want their precious savior to bite the big one on my account." he explained.  
  
"It is not too far removed from the truth, but that fool Gannondorf couldn't come close to the ability to create a free willed darkness as perfect as myself. The truth is simple. Link and I are brothers if you observe our origins from a certain angle. We are both struck from the same mold and thus we share one another's strengths, power and considering our origin we are also connected. His existance is connected to my power, my life is connected to his. When one dies we become nothing more than meer mortals...but I have yet to weaken." he explained. Everybody was shocked at this kind of a revelation. This gave a flicker of hope to Link still living.  
  
Arus'Nei continued lightly pacing the rock "Link of course doesn't know the full story as he never knew he had a brother until the day I stepped into his life. Being that he has never allowed me to explain how the two of us came to be, he denies our blood up and down." Sophitia finally spoke up addressing him "Arus'Nei. If you truly are Link's brother. Why did you hunt him to the death? What kind of satisfaction were you hunting?" she demanded to know.  
  
Arus'Nei in response dropped down from the rock again this time landing right in the elder Athenian's face, she glared right into his eyes not flinching "I know that my brother lives Sophitia. I can still feel his damned presence beating in the back of my mind, driving me on. As for why I hate him so, he stole everything from me with his simple existence. You have no idea to know that you are trash to be thrown away from the day you were born." he observed their confusion and chuckled. "I don't expect you to understand. Hyrule is very different from your world." he stepped away.  
  
He took about twenty paces before turning around crossing his arms "I don't want to hang around here and be attacked so I will go ahead and tell you what happened here. One that resembled my kind did come through here but it was neither me or my brother. Link's life was indeed silent for a short time before it began to beat once again, during this time I fell short of breath. I headed here and watched a mysterious warrior heading over the horizon carrying with him a the shard I left with my brother." Xianghua raised an eyebrow "He headed south towards the place where Soul Edge was shattered, hunting another the holds the shards. Seems that while Link is out of action he is taking up the sword for the time being." Siegfried took a deep breath "Ostrheinsburg."  
  
Cassandra narrowed her eyes "Why are you helping us? What do you serve to gain?" Arus'Nei looked back at the young Athenian stepping forward to her, she didn't flinch and he admired it. He reached up moving a hair from her vision "I have no fight with you or your friends, and I know that my brother would never fall so easily to an enemy such as Ivy. No great warrior will allow a death that is not worthy of them." he said this catching more of her interest. Raphael seemed to give a light growl at the mention of that name.  
  
He took a light breath "I am confident he will not disappoint me. Link has never left a score unsettled and has never lost a battle easily. I doubt he will allow it to happen now, like all the other times he will probably come back stronger than before. He will find out how to fix it. One way or another." he said before stepping away "If I am right and he is alive...tell him that I said hello. And that I'll be waiting to settle our score." he said before vanishing. Fading away like a shadow to sunlight.  
  
Cassandra breathed not knowing what to do at this point. Arus'Nei claimed that Link was alive and that a warrior heading on foot to Ostrheinsburg was involved in his prolonged existence, apparently after another powerful warrior that possessed shards. They all discussed this unable to determine if their unlikely contact was telling them the truth. Considering the Black Wind it could have been a trap, but then again they could understand that with Arus'Nei's obsession he would feel robbed if Ivy had truly ended Link's life. With the fact the warrior had Link's shard and without anywhere else to turn they set their next destination: Ostrheinsburg  
  
Next Chapter: Titans and Demons  
  
(Voice of Arus'Nei) dark chuckle Battles are not only a way of writing history, they are also a work of art and legend. Another great art work begins now as a group of adventurers seek out their lost friend in the hollowed ruins of a great city. Before them a battle starts between two inhumanly powerful warriors. An ominous titan that swings a blade of great destruction and wields powerful magic long lost to this world. The other is a demonized man on a mission from Hell possessing the perfect weapon and supernatural powers. They will clash in what just might be a prelude of things to come. Still looking forward I never would have thought he was that involved...  
  
NOTE: The next chapter...IT is one of many things I have been building to. Looking at the words above I'm sure you can probably guess what two characters will be clashing blades in a contest of great power. Sadly though there is always a price to my work. UNLESS YOU PEOPLE REVIEW ME, YOU AIN'T GETTING JACK FOR A GOOD WHILE!! 


	43. Titans and Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay this next chapter is one of the things I've been building to. For those of you that know the identity of the character being introduced for the first time in this chapter, take what you think you know and ignore it. I found it easy to take a mysterious character with no true name and no real past and easily mold him into the Soul Calibur universe. This is all building up to put several answers to questions surrounding the Soul Calibur.  
  
Also for those who care the setting here is the level in SCII where all the 'Destined Battles' are fought in Arcade Mode. That crumbling church.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Forty-Two: Titans and Demons  
  
After setting out of the unidentified port city they had taken lodging, the two groups of the White Wind and the Four Blades began their movement across the European country side which wasn't nearly as lively as it had once been. As Siegfried had said before they began their movement towards the Valentine estate, they really didn't have anywhere else to go. No other clues. No other hints. The only option they had was to trust the world of the man that claimed to be Link's brother and essential shadow. If they were truly not related they were connected by a life force, if they were then they would have to deal with that possibility. Weather or not they found Link would determine it.  
  
The words of Arus'Nei had dropped grave concern upon both Sophitia and Cassandra that were unrelated to Link. Arus'Nei explained that a dark side and a light side were connected by the same life force and that if he and Link were truly of that nature to kill one would be to kill the other. They in turn thought of the relationship between Nightmare and Siegfried. While he clearly had no concern about his fate after all he blamed himself for they were beginning to wonder if the split the Soul Edge performed on Siegfried was anything like the priests of Link's country predicted about Arus'Nei and Link.  
  
To kill Nightmare was the kill Siegfried. To kill Arus'Nei was to kill Link. That was how the life force worked between the light side and the dark side of a person. While Arus'Nei had explained that they were not connected in such a way, it was as clear that the Siegfried they knew and the one that Soul Edge crafted out of his inner evil, greed and malice were both at risk to such a system. Sophitia had been distant ever since she had first considered that as had Cassandra who was still trying to translate all of Arus'Nei's rants. All he had said about Link's existence practically stealing his life from him.  
  
How they could ever be brothers was a mystery to her, and Link himself had claimed he didn't know for sure why his shadow hunted him. She assumed that if Link was truly alive, she would have to ask him what was on her mind. But first they needed to track down this warrior that fought Heihachi in that town, the one who apparently now carried the Soul Calibur's hilt. She knew that it was probably a bad idea to trust the words of Arus'Nei, but they were sure that it wasn't a member of the Black Wind. If that was the case the town would have been in much more shock.  
  
At this point there was no telling who this warrior was until they could look into his eyes and question him on such things, but they were heeding Heihachi's warning and were treading very carefully. Now after nearly a weeks travel south with hardly any time for rest they found themselves in Ostrheinsburg where their missing ally's shadow had told them to go. The area brought back some pretty powerful memories out of the minds of Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi, Sophitia and Siegfried as they knew the old castle from a kingdom of long past was only a few miles into the mountains.  
  
Xianghua made her announcement just moments after they had stepped into the small city that was known for its crafts in furniture and wood work which all came from trees growing in the forests nearby. "The warrior we are seeking is very close by, the fragments are calling out to me. Both those of the Soul Calibur..." everybody looked up as they noticed the plural and gripped their patience as she spoke "...and the Soul Edge." everybody felt flustered as they knew that if shards of the Soul Edge were around it was likely somebody from the Black Wind would be coming to retrieve them.  
  
Sophitia figured they would be able to sense the shards as easily as they had been doing with the fact that she was holding a box that sealed off the shards they already possessed. Guarding the box almost constantly was the duty of Taki, Siegfried and herself each of them possessing different times. This fact was serious weighing on Drake's patience as he didn't have one shred of luck towards retrieving it this entire time. Unknown to him his unexplained irritation and impatience was being noticed by the likes of the concerned Talim and the jealous Yunsung.  
  
Arriving in the early morning the two group of the White Wind and the Four Blades awaited Xianghua's conclusion as to where they needed to head. In the end she announced that the energy resonating from the Soul Edge fragments were on a higher elevation and the Soul Calibur shard was faint signal that was somewhere nearby. Siegfried explained that it was the Ostrheinsburg Cathedral which could be seen from the castle where the Soul Edge was shattered. It was the place where the kings of the old kingdom were sworn in, now it was a place that was falling apart. They agreed to begin their climb to it and confront whoever held these shards. The dusty and small rocks crunched against one another as the seekers moved up the side of the mountain heading towards the Cathedral which possessed its own beaten trail. The groups had both split up into three groups. The trio went with the members of the Four Blades along one side of the mountain while Siegfried and the sisters moved up another. Taki, Mitsurugi and the two from the Wind Village found themselves going up the rocks on the side of the Cathedral hoping to get to the second floor and maybe get a better steak out point. Scaling was easy with the Taki and Drake's training, Mitsurugi's various adventures and Talim's excellent control over herself.  
  
Siegfried, Sophitia and Cassandra all eventually found themselves at the large front doors of the cathedral which had been closed for years. Siegfried breathed as he hoisted Requiem on his shoulder obviously ready to use it if the need arose, the sisters had their shields and their swords could be drawn very swiftly. Cassandra's heart beat faster as they neared the doors. At this point even she could feel the energy off the shards and it was now clear that there were two entities in the building, each possessing different shards. They lightly questioned who could have the Soul Edge shards, Cassandra and Siegfried neared the door and Sophitia gripped the their sealed box to her chest.  
  
Kilik and the others found entrance through a large hole that was in the side of the Cathedril and all moved forward into the main chapel where several stone pews had been set. Maxi and Kyle both twisted as one of the two large doors was forced open and they found themselves looking towards Cassandra and Siegfried. Kilik breathed as he ended up bumping shoulders with Mina and looked at the Four Blades "We don't need it to be too crowded. Mina, Yunsung and Maxi. Somebody needed to help Sophitia guard that box. You wait outside with her." they all agreed and moved out of the chapel.  
  
Siegfried reached up his untainted hand and grabbed Kilik by the shoulder forcing him to look up at the non-existence ceiling which had been torn away over the years. While only half of the second and third floors remained he could sense a lot of power coming from the third floor, clearly the Soul Edge and another that tumbled on his memory. "We've sensed that energy before haven't we." Siegfried questioned. Kilik nodded then looked towards Raphael and Xianghua "The two of you remain on the ground floor. If I'm right this thing might be able to take that kind of a fall." disappointed the two of them agreed. With this said Kilik, Cassandra and Siegfried moved up the stairs and Kyle brought up the rear.  
  
Taki breathed as she brought another foot up scaling the rocks that lead up to the side of the mountain, from there they would be able to get around the side and maybe onto the roof. From there they could, perhaps just manage to make a quick kill on whoever possessed the shards. Mitsurugi was right behind her, he had substituted some leather for his heavy armor knowing it would only serve to weight him down at this point. Shishi-Oh was slung over his back as he climbed having grown accustomed to it in his days as a mercenary. While the others went along the two trails they came up to the side and would make their way to the roof, still he was getting a bad feeling about Drake's anger.  
  
"Damn it." Drake half growled as a piece of rock came from under his foot and Talim looked down at him as she followed the other two. Drake shook his head before be brought his leg up high and got another foot hold pulling himself up, his eyes narrowed into daggers at the scenario. It seemed his seemingly infinite patience was breaking, but Talim couldn't figure out what was putting weight on it. He hadn't known Link well and it was obvious that Cassandra, Kyle, Taki and herself were on edge with the possibility he might be alive somewhere. It was something else and she could determine it. Instead of asking if he wanted help she moved on.  
  
Reaching the edge of the summit they found that the chapel had been built up against the rocks which looked climbable. They ended up scratching this idea as it didn't take long for Taki and Talim to detect the dark aura that was coming from the highest level of the building. Drake narrowed his eyes as he picked it up and spoke "This world just might be smaller that I thought. It's that fire hurling bastard that send me across Venice's south harbor." he breathed out referring back to the demon that tried to make away with their shards, the ones he was looking to steal. Taki breathed remembering how Siegfried had taken him down earlier, but now she could feel a greater power and it didn't rub her right. Seeing the stairs through a hole in the wall, she witnessed the cursed member of the trio pass by holding up his rod. He was followed closely by the two of the blond warriors and the rear was brought up by the serious Korean.  
  
She noticed all of them step back as they neared the top of the stairs which she could see through the hole, obviously they had spotted their target. Kilik breathed as he looked out from the doorway and looked at Siegfried "I though he ran back to where he came from." he snarled as silently as he could. Siegfried breathed as he held his sword which wasn't easy to maneuver around such close quarters. Kilik jerked back into the stair way as a crackle of crimson energy went off from whatever he was looking at, he had been honing his power since his defeat.  
  
Cassandra moved closer up next to Kilik finding her sight fixed on the ominous monster that Siegfried had called a Hellspawn. He was knelt down on the floor gazing at his hand which gripped something that was pretty obvious to her considering the amount of negative aura he was expelling from his being. He was positioned on what was supposed to be the third floor though the ages made it more like a look out point. The missing parts of the roof and walls made it possible to see the Castle that her sister and Siegfried had spoken of. It was a truly beautiful site, though it was obvious the monster cared little for it.  
  
Defeat had been a frustrating experiance for him. There was a first time for everything but this kind of thing didn't happen to him, it wasn't supposed to. Never in his formal life had he ever been out classed. Never been out performed. Never been out done in any real way or form, and he of course didn't count death through betrayal as a defeat. Since he had lost to the hands of the leader of the Defenders he had headed for Germany and found this place, it was secluded and obviously wasn't cared about much as nobody had bothered him. Giving him more than enough time to collect knowledge on what his new body had given him. The body of Spawn, not Al Simmons.  
  
Knelt down with one knee touching the cold ruin's floor he gazed at the objects in his hand, three of the Soul Edge shards. Not what he had been sent to find, but he would be sparred more of Malbolgia's bullshit if he managed to get them. The underworld Lord primarily wanted the sword itself. An ancient root of power that would allow him to hold a great dominion over the realm that was Hell. Still he wondered if such pathetic little things were truly worth his time or his trouble at this point, he was much for formidable that he was a month ago. No living mortal could ever hope to stand in his way. Little did he know that there was one who intended to.  
  
The power blinded creature was lost in his own thought and completely unable to sense his gaze which looked down upon him from the decimated roof of the Cathedral. Even the fragments of that accursed sword were enough to mystify the most powerful of warriors, and this unholy creature was certainly no exception. The fact that he was a man turned demon from the underworld made no difference to him, just the fact that he was collecting the shards of the Soul Edge was enough to make his blood boil. It was even more proof that humanity had learned nothing over the centuries.  
  
Power gathered around him as he concentrated his energy prepared to go back on the offensive after so long, despite the warm up against that possessed mask around ten years ago. His eyes moved to close as he held up a hand, his palm pointed dangerously towards the knelling creature. He forced away all thoughts that might have brought up the words of 'underhanded' and 'dishonorable'. Such things no long mattered to him. He had vowed countless years ago that would not allow everything to happen all over again. This pitiful fool would not assist the unfolding plot.  
  
Xianghua and Raphael waited back on the ground floor. Their hands at their weapons and their minds were fixed to nothing back combat, they were ready to make their move if the situation arose. Xianghua was struggling to keep from collapsing as the energy of the Soul Edge shards were like a thick haze to her mind. The aura of the being that had collected them was also a horrible strain on her senses as the collective darkness made it difficult for her to focus. Raphael grabbed her shoulder looking at her able to see how her soul was being effected and was about to suggest she join Sophitia when suddenly it happened.  
  
Every last synapse of Xianghua's being that was being tortured by the negative aura of the Soul Edge was suddenly whipped clean by another force, probably at least twice as powerful. There was suddenly a flash of light from above and everything felt exactly like her lost sword's aura, it wasn't similar it was exact! Raphael jerked looking up as a massive explosion went off from above and pieces of rubble rained down on them. Xianghua moved pulling him back into the stair well as several pieces of the third floor rained down. Xianghua's eyes went wide as she caught sight of three glowing pieces of rubble right before the one who had been holding them struck the ground. The one from the harbor in Venice.  
  
Taki Moyika jerked her head up as she heard the explosion from the inside of the building the felt the pure almost holy aura wash over her. Jerking away from the Cathedral wall she dropped down about fifteen feet before landing and ran back from the cliff looking up at the roof. Mitsurugi followed suit rushing to her side to look up at the source of the noise, an ominous shadow of a man stood on the roof outlined by the late morning sun. He turned his head towards them before he did the most insane thing, he back flipped off the side of the roof falling towards the back of the Cathedral. Without a second thought Taki took off after the being as did the other three who ended up left in her dust.  
  
Cassandra screamed as she through her back against the stairwell wall. It had all been so sudden that she didn't have any more time to react as suddenly an orb of light struck the ground right where the creature was knelling and sent him flying over the side of the destroyed platform. Pieces of rubble rained into the stairwell though they were mostly on the small side such as rocks and pebbles. Kilik jerked out as he saw a shadow drop past the window that was positioned in the back of the room the creature had been in.  
  
Cassandra breathed as she held her back to the wall of the stairwell as she watched the monster fade from view obviously plummeting to the first floor. Siegfried breathed as he reviewed the original plan and looked at Kilik "Are those flash bombs Taki carries really that potent?" he asked in all seriousness. Kilik shook his head "Not even on their best day. That certainly didn't come from one of us." Kilik growled. Siegfried turned and began moving down the stairs and the other two ended up following. As they reached the bottom they were greeted with the site of the monster slowly getting to his feet angry he had been caught off guard.  
  
The monster growled as he slowly got to his feet growling angrily as he did so, the black flesh of what appeared to be some sort of living costume healing back over to conceal the horrible burns on the flesh that existed under it. The crimson cape that could be somehow melded into a weapon fluttered lightly as he stood to his feet reaching out a hand to grab it and pull it back over his shoulder. The three shards of the Soul Edge were on the floor around him almost for the pickings but none of the group present wanted to step into the line of fire. The monster spoke but it wasn't to any of them "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you just dug your own grave." he said as the doors in the back of the cathedral were kicked open.  
  
Siegfried looked to the group signaling for all of them to move back towards the front of the cathedral where they could get a good look at both of them. Sophitia and Mina were both taking cover behind the pillars that one held up parts of the roof, the Athenian still grasping the seal box to her chest. Mina moved to her groups apparent leader "Kyle what is going on?" she asked as silently as she could. He shook his head showing that he had absolutely no clue and they all looked on as the figure slowly stepped into the light. Cassandra's eyes went wide as he stepped into the light and she seemed to move back against Siegfried in apparent shock. Sophitia and Siegfried also looked up and were equally surprised.  
  
The creature before the hellspawn was clearly another of Link's kind, this was displayed by the wide eyes and the long, sharp ears. From what the on looking seekers could see his skin tone was slightly less tanned an he stood at least a foot taller than their missing friend. His facial features seemed identical to Link's, but there were certain aspects that easily went about separating the two of them. The new comer's hair was a shimmering platinum silver much like the one that struck Link down and his pupils could hardly be seen, being they were of the same color. Marks also bladed under his eyes which were an ominous form of war paint that obviously had meanings the seekers didn't know of.  
  
His cloths were in a few ways similar to their elven friend as well, the main differences however was the fact that this new warrior wore solid metal armor as opposed to Link's mythril mail. A dark gray ceremonial body armor covered his chest and abdomen being outlined by a moon and triangle shape on the breast plate. He wore a silverish tunic much like Link under it which went into short sleeves before a black mail came into view covering his arms and legs. He wore boots similar to Link's but his leather arm guards were clearly different. They were black with a pair of red strips running over them and they were lined with several small squares of metal. This warrior before them was overall much more intimidating that the one they were searching for. He was clearly the one that Arus'Nei had advised them to find.  
  
The Hellspawn growled as he held out his hand and his cape was torn from his shoulder, folding itself before morphing into the familiar black and emerald axe "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded to know. His voice echoed through the chamber obviously finding their way to the new warrior's sharp ears which resulted in a light huff. The warrior crossed his arms over his chest locking his cold eyes with the shining emerald slits of his opponent "You possess three shards of Inferno's sword and like many others you clearly have no clue what you have. Hand them over me and I will not harm you." he said. His voice was deeper than Link's and a great deal more threatening, Sophitia was gripping the box to her chest in obvious caution. Cassandra didn't know about that monster but her sister had been intimidated by the threat.  
  
Taki and Mitsurugi found themselves breathing heavily as they had came in the same way as the new mysterious warrior, something about this new comers power just dug into both of them. Talim found herself almost unable to move as every word spoken by this new comer just pierced her very soul. Drake meanwhile growled as he could see three shards right in front of him, shimmering on the floor and up for grabs. If he could get off to a good running start he could probably avoid that monster's fireballs. He caught the glare from Taki "Don't you dare move." she demanded. He grinded his teeth and looked on.  
  
The monster shook his head before laughing towards the sky, clearly confident of his now understood power. He recovered and looked up seeing the warrior hadn't flinched in the least bit "Your serious? Let me laugh harder then!" his laughter continued. Both humored and arrogant as if his challenger was making some sort of a funny, while others might have seen it as confidence the new comer only saw it as a stain. The energy from the Soul Edge had effected this demonic warrior more on his mind than it had his body, it was making him a fool that believed himself invincible.  
  
In an instant the laughter stopped and the warrior became serious again throwing back an arm and energy began to gather catching fire in his palm. "You seriously think I'm going to back down to a couple of cheap threats! Get out of my face!" he shouted before he hurled the ball of hell fire towards the proud standing warrior. Everybody held their breath as the warrior dropped his arms from his chest and moved to the side as the blast got close to him. His hand then came forward and struck the blast back towards its owner. It came about half way before striking the ground exploding in a blast of flame and smoke.  
  
Everybody shielded themselves as more and more of the rubble was kicked up by the flame and a wall of smoke seperated the two warriors. Spawn growled as he found he had lost sight of his opponent, just as this thought crossed his mind a shape came through the fog jumping up and he found himself kicked clear across the chapel smashing into a few stone pews. Everybody was in shock as the new warrior marched up to the creature grabbing him by the neck before he could recover and hurled him hard into the ground, head first. The monster roared as he recovered and grabbed for his attacker.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" he shouted as he brought up his axe prepared to get serious about all of this and rushed him making a swing at the head. The newcomer fell back maintaining his balance as the blades of the axe flew over head and then came up sending his arm up to cloths line the monster hard into the ground. He then brought back at hand and pointed it down towards the monster, it was blazing with some sort of a pure energy and it was obvious what kind of effect it would have on such a creature "Don't make me waste my time on you." he growled. The hell spawn narrowed his eyes before he moved hard to the side kicking the creature's legs out from under him.  
  
He dropped down and the axe was brought up. Seeing that this was not going to go peaceful the newcomer through out an arm catching himself and flipped back just as the axe came down and the hell spawn held up his axe. He was angry, that much was clear as he brought his axe back prepared to take this as far as it could go "I'm going to tear you apart!" he threatened swiping his axe through the air. He then held it out toward the shards of the Soul Edge, it whipped back into a cape and flowed over them as if by its own will before returning to its master.  
  
The Hell spawn gazed at the shards before the warrior spoke up "Every time a mortal or demon uses one of those shards he loses a piece of his soul. Sells it over to the spirit of the corresponding blade. Even now those shard poison your mind, don't be a pawn to them." Spawn growled as the silver haired warrior spoke. His cape morphed back into an axe and without a seconds hesitation he stabbed the three shards into his weapon which began to morph again gaining a fleshy layer over it. The creature's eyes glowed red and he spoke "They are mine to command pretty boy. Your going to have to pry them from my corpse."  
  
By now all of the seekers were reeling by the amount of power they were witnessing. They might have been able to defeat the demon before, but his power had come under better control and the shards didn't help much. Then there was this other creature, one of Link's kind that would be called some sort of a titan in Athens who showed no real limit to whatever power he possessed. He moved reaching into his tunic slowly removing something that none of them expected to see, the hand guard of Soul Calibur. The piece that Link had vanished along with, how he had it none of them knew.  
  
The creature held it up and it levitated over one finger before he flicked one side of it causing it to spin, then suddenly a light enveloped it and it stretched out into the shape of a sword. The light faded and they found themselves looking at a long sword that shimmered and glowed very similar to the Soul Calibur. From the base it went out into two blades which twisted before coming into a point, the aura from this weapon almost matched the Hell spawn's axe in power. Somehow this member of Link's race was able to manipulate the power of the Soul Calibur's hilt to form a sword of the same power. Without a word he went into stance, this was clearly a struggle of power between a demon and a titan.  
  
Next Chapter: Ominous Power  
  
(Voice of Al Simmons) Its about damn time I managed to find some worthy talent to go up against, but I never expected that it would end up being this damn hard. Who the hell is this guy? What is his power? Why does this shit have to happen to me? Malbolgia sent me promising rewards of a second chance at life. He sent me here to collect the shards and the sword. I want to see my wife again. I want to go back to my old life...And this bastard isn't going to stop me. No matter what form he may take.  
  
NOTE: If you read our demonic friend's words right the next chapter will be an obvious joy to many of you. But it will more than likely leave several of you with many questions as the character fighting Spawn is not who we think he is. The next chapter will prove this and spread a great number of questions to be answered later. Eventually coming to create the history of the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Mwahahahaha....REVIEW NOW!!! 


	44. Ominous Power

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.  
  
Authors Note: Okay, its been a while, but I'm back and I am about to start revealing a good deal of stuff involving multiple subjects. Such as the mysterious warrior's identity, the deal between Drake and Ivy, the mysterious Yugo and the whereabouts of Yoshimitsu and Voldo.  
  
Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords  
  
Chapter Forty Three: Ominous Power  
  
Xianghua was beside herself with disbelief as she witnessed everything swiftly unfold before her and the people that she had come to trust in her search to reunite the Soul Calibur and destroy the Soul Edge. It wasn't like anything had made a great deal of since from the point she recieved the Krita-Yuga from her mother years ago, but now everything was chaos after the reappearance of the creature from Venice and a mysterious stranger that resembled Link's race.  
  
She was supposed to be the one chosen by the Soul Calibur, but somehow this creature had managed to completely manipulate the hilt into a sword that would benefit him. The sword had not completely regenerated within his grip, but it had brought out every ounce of power that was held in the fragment. The fact that he had the fragment was a good sight however, if nothing else it proved he had at least had contact with Link, but still there was so much more unanswered. Not even Nightmare had that kind of will over the Soul Edge.  
  
The creature that Siegfried had called a Hellspawn had forged the three shards of the Soul Edge he possessed into that strange cape that somehow morphed into a double bladed ax. Everything about this creature made absolutely no sense at all, manipulation of that cape and fire and the ability to take the abuse dealt to him in Venice, it was obvious that he was not of this world. Standing in the entrance of the Cathedral with these two explosive forces starring one another down provided no comfort for her, as there was no guarantee that the victorious wouldn't come after the shards. Sophitia grasped their box to her chest, clearly seeing this.  
  
After a few seconds of a tense standoff the monster roared out a battle cry before rushing at his almost godly opponent. The energy that he called out from the Soul Edge shards was like a burning spear in the back of her mind, demanding she either run from it or destroy it. The ominous warrior looked up as the savage demon rushed at him, he took in a breath clearly out of pity or disappointment before shooting out his sword. The monster brought his ax down to slam against the broad sword, the forced caused the warrior to lean back but it didn't knock him down. He forced his way back up and glared at the monster "Mortal fool!" he growled before he made his move.  
  
He swiped back his sword back sending his free hand out to forced the monster back before his sword caught a brilliant blue aura and then it came up. The energy left the sword in the form of a flying disk which struck to the demon and took him with it, he screamed in pain as the blade peeled off a good amount of his flesh before he got off it. The disk flew away from him and struck a wall where it went off in a flesh of light leaving a perfect cut in the stone. The warrior then jumped up and brought up his sword.  
  
The monster looked up his face revealed as something that was once human, horribly burned and callused from something that must have happened. A maw of jagged teeth and a pair of eerie glowing eyes added more to his menacing nature. The monster then slowly stood to his feet his feet taking in a deep breath as his skin began to react slowly stretching out and growing back over his wounds. As the 'mask' slowly sealed over his face hiding the evidence of his suffering his eyes caught a red glow again. The Soul Edge was reacting.  
  
Your supposed to be dead! the essence of the Soul Edge screached out to everybody within hearing distance, the telepathic voice once again invading the minds of the seekers, but it was clearly addressed to the warrior that stood before him. The creature looked up the war point clearly a give away to whoever he was supposed to be, but no matter who he was, the very essence of the Soul Edge hated him. The warrior spoke "Death comes to us all, one could call what I have been through the very definition of the word. But I couldn't rest while you continued to bring chaos to this world. What happened before, will not happen again." the mysterious warrior growled.  
  
Sophitia breathed as she could feel an energy radiating from the sealed box, their fragments were trying a great deal harder to break through her seals. Xianghua looked at her knowing she knew something, Mitsurugi and Taki saw this and demanded to know exactly what was going on. Sophitia breathed trying to explain "The very essence of the Soul Edge has an enemy in this man, a burning hatred that dwarfs its resentment towards any of us. I don't think I've ever felt such malice from any living thing." she breathed as the fragments continued to speak out from their possessed host.  
  
The essence of the sword spoke out once again You dare to predict again?! This world and all of it's sweetbreads are mine! The creatures that inhabit it are mine! he said in clear reference to the men and women it manipulated. The creature that had become possessed raised a hand to point at the silver hair warrior Despite what you've done you will not stop my conquest. After I have taken this world I will take the next, and as long as your sword remains shattered you cannot stop me! the monster then shook his head clearly confused as to why he was losing gaps of memory.  
  
The warrior chuckled lightly holding the blade he had formed from the Soul Calibur's hilt against his shoulder "I know exactly what has been going on while I have been away. I also know how when the blade shattered all of the souls being put towards your resurrection were lost to you. Until you are once again complete you will never be able to do anything but manipulate Nightmare to do your will. Your no closer to your resurrection that I am to my own." he announced to the essence which was obviously disconnected from the main blade. Now some of the seekers were very confused by what was going on. Manipulation? Resurrection? It was another problem that could not be answered with their limited knowledge of the swords.  
  
Siegfried breathed as he knew that this must have been one great deal of malice, not one of the shards imbedded in the ax had picked up on his presence. That had to have ment something, but it didn't make any sense at all. This powerful warrior clearly hailed from Link's lands, but how could he have possibly have ever had contact with the Soul Edge was beyond him. To make things even more confusing, he couldn't recall anything about this man from the seemingly infinite knowledge of the Soul Edge's history which he had taken away with him during the split with Nightmare. Just like the origins of the blade, such facts were either hidden or non-existent.  
  
Cassandra breathed as she looked at the Four Blades who had gathered with Talim and Drake, they were planning something and she was going to make herself a part of it. The way the Master Sword was now glowing could be seen even while it was sheathed, there was something about this titan like warrior that brought out this strange light. The group of six split up going around either side. She breathed as she moved around to the side following Kyle, Mina and Yunsung towards the rear of the possessed monster clearly waiting for any sign of aggression towards the group.  
  
The monster growled as he shook his head regaining control of himself "I don't know what the Soul Edge has against you, but if it will get them to shut up I'll gladly cut you down!" the Hellspawn then rushed the demigod who swiftly raised his blade swatting the ax up out of his way. The warrior followed up with a powerful fist to the monster's chest sending him back to slam into the floor "Stay down. The shards only feed upon your rage." the monster didn't listen and jumped up raising his hand to hurl another fireball which the warrior deflected, but it was all just a diversionary tactic.  
  
As the warrior recovered from the fireball, the ax came down and was held back by the warrior who struggled to keep from toppling over, the crimson reappeared in the monster's eyes You manipulating this host of yours is no different from my own, how long have you been hiding yourself within him, Mythran?! the essense asked finally giving a name. Still this name ment nothing to Taki, Sophitia or even Siegfried. In fact while looking back at his knowledge the name Mythran seemed to be locked in the back of his mind, it was as if he knew at one point but was prohibited by the Soul Edge to access such information.  
  
The warrior revealed as Mythran pushed back with a growl "My host came of his own free will. I simply remained sleeping knowing that eventually you would manipulate your sickening nature to his world. I have never had any direct contact with him until just recently." the essence of the Soul Edge growled as suddenly the monster began to pull back "Silence!" the demon roared as his eyes lost the crimson glow and his hands flew to his head to grab it clearly being distorted by the Soul Edge Shards as they were fused directly into a weapon which was an extension of himself. The warrior growled as the monster looked down and held up a fireball.  
  
From the sidelines Cassandra narrowed her eyes finally beginning to realize what was going on and then rushed into action drawing the Master Sword from its sheath. She jumped up and then drove it hard into the Hellspawn's back, running him through completely. Mythran jumped up and swipped the sword made from the fragment at the ax which held the shards, the weapon and the shards seemed to clash with one another. The crimson aura the Soul Edge had created around their user completely dissipated and the monster was left in complete control of both his mind, body and the power that flowed through his weapon. He glared back at Cassandra before he knelt and then jumped up high into the air pulling himself from the Master Sword.  
  
Everybody gasped as he thrust out his legs and arms freezing himself in mid air, one hand moved to grip over his wound which glowed green, healing over once again. His other glared at Cassandra and charged the ball of hell fire that had been intended for the mysterious Mythran just moments before. He hoisted it back and then hurled it down at Cassandra "Burn!" he roared as the blaze headed right at her. Cassandra was frozen with the heavier blade in her hand "Move!" Sophitia screamed "Cassandra!" Yunsung and Kyle shouted in unison, right as it came down. Cassandra then suddenly felt a force pushed her to the side and then pulled her a number of feet, her hand left the Master Sword as she was moved however.  
  
A massive explosion blew the marble right from the floor and sent the sacred blade flying through the air to stab up into what remained of the cathedral's ceiling. Cassandra grunted as her lower back struck the floor and she skidded lightly, she looked up to catch sight of the warrior looking back at the levitated demon. The back of the tunic had nearly been burned off and it appeared that he had been injured by the explosion. It was obvious that the Soul Edge blinded the Hell spawn from seeing them, but she felt that this warrior hadn't noticed them either. He stood up slowly and stumbled lightly, nowhere near as powerful as before, he then looked at her "Get back." he demanded. She didn't respond and simply ran back to her sister.  
  
Mythran took a deep breath as he drew back his sword and the monster slowly dropped to the floor drinking in the realization of the fact that his opponent was not invincible. The warrior breathed lightly as he looked at the blade he had fashioned from the Soul Calibur fragment, it had become obvious at this point that if he continued his power would consume the fragment as it had the relic he had locked himself in. The entire blade of the Soul Calibur would be required before he could leave his host, and even more stimulus would be needed before he could come out in physical form. Aside from that the bodies true owner was demanding that he be let out.  
  
Some of the seekers were in question as the warrior took a breath and didn't make any sort of a move, it was as if he was reflecting or something. Suddenly he brought back his arm and made an action nobody expected, he tossed the blade away right towards Xianghua where it stabbed into the ground. It glowed before it reduced itself back to its original form, the hilt of the Soul Calibur. Xianghua looked up at the warrior as the knelt down to pick up the shard, Kilik narrowed his eyes "His power is vanishing. His life force is vanishing. Something strange is going on." he said lighting raising the Kali Yuga.  
  
The warrior took a deep breath as he looked down at his hands and then brought them up to course through the silvery hair, he was slowly fading from the living realm once again. In moments he would be forced back into the mind of the body he had taken refuge in so long ago, with any luck he would get his chance to prevent the fall of this world. He breathed as light began to radiate from his body and he dropped down on one knee as the light became almost blinding to everybody in the room. "What in the hell?!" the monster along with several seekers questioned as the light suddenly snapped and flashed.  
  
Eventually everybody regained their sight after the blinding flash and their eyes instantly moved to where the warrior had been only moments before. A figure could be seen through the fadding light and fog, knelt down in the same possition. Right knee placed to the flow, his hands spread out to the side, fingertips gracing the ground and his face pointed to the floor he knelt upon. The sillouette came into view and colors could be made out as the torch light touched cloths of lsuh green, silvery white and tanned brown leather. Blond hair whipped lightly as a soft breeze moved through the Cathedral and the seekers all began questioning their eyes as it become obvious.  
  
The green clad figure slowly moved to stand, forcing his weight up on his leg. His bare fingertips scrapped the ground as he rose up and stood up straight, but still faced the floor. A hole was clearly punched into the left side of his tunic and the edges of the tear was caked with blood stains. The hole was clearly where his lung should have been. The figure raised his head to look up at the monster before him, the one that had attacked the younger of the sister and unconsciously provoked his. They were powerful yet at the same time confused. As if he was completely clueless to everything that was happening at that point in time.  
  
"...Link." Cassandra lightly breathed from her place near the door of the Cathedral, just about every last seekers all echoed after her. Even the likes of Taki, Mitsurugi and Siegfried were all shocked by this turn of events, they would have never expected to see such things in their lives. Cassandra didn't know what to think as she looked upon him, she became completely oblivious to everything that was not him. The wind of life was in him. His body was drawing breath. His body was pumping its blood. His soul was burning like a flame. He was looking at her. "Cass?" he questioned clearly confused by what had been happening.  
  
Cassandra wanted to go to him. Make sure that she was not dreaming. However somebody wasn't willing to stop and savor the return of their long missing friend "To Hell with this!!" the monster roared before he rushed right at the still disoriented Hylian. All of the seekers shouted out warnings as the monster brought back his axe. Link looked up as the powerful twin bladed weapon came right at his head threatening to take it off. Link's reflexes snapped into action and he jumped back forcing his legs up to turn a back flip attempting to avoid the attack.  
  
The ax went just over Link's chest as he dropped back, his leg coming up to smack the monsters arm from behind sending him past Link just as he got back to his feet. Jumping up he moved hard and swung his arm at the monster, the back of his fist struck the demon's face just as the monster whirled around in an attempt to face Link. The monster stumbled forward and regained his balance just in time to catch a foot in the gut, the elf then pushed his assault by stepping up on the monster's bent leg and lashing out with his other foot sending the monster stumbling back against the wall.  
  
Link then jumped back his quiver of arrows rattling without the sword sheath or shield to hold them taunt against his back. He breathed as he glanced around the cathedral his eyes moving to the ceiling of the large building which he clearly was still trying to figure out. It wasn't long before he spied the sacred blade he had hoped was still in the possession of Cassandra, stabbed into the center of what remained of the ceiling. He cursed something in a language that none of the seekers could identify, more than likely his own native tongue. He didn't have long to consider as the monster rushed at him again and he ran making his best efforts to avoid getting hacked.  
  
Everybody kept back at they watched Link weave around the support beams of the Cathedral in his attempts to find the stairs, and the monster called Spawn was never more than a step behind. After several moments of watching Yunsung couldn't take it anymore and drew his sword "Don't! We still have no clue how powerful that bastard is!" Kyle barked, Yunsung shook his head "Well I'm not going to just let Link get a second chance at getting killed. I'm going!" as if by a cue Talim brought up her elbow blades and Mitsurugi brought out his katana. Raphael chuckled as he brought out his rapier "You people are really stupid." he said before the four of them rushed after the monster.  
  
Sophitia looked up as Cassandra watched them run off, a number of them were standing back still guarding her and the shards. It wasn't long before Cassandra shook her head before drawing out her sword and shield and then rushing in to help them. Taki would have wanted to go, but she realized that anymore man power and they would probably end up getting in one another's way. Instead she turned her eyes to the on looking knight that stood by Sophitia "You know what is going on, don't you?" Mina and Kyle both looked. Siegfried however shook his head not having the faintest clue.  
  
Link growled as another blast of fire exploded right next to him and he lost his footing hitting the ground, the monster then rushed up kicking him hard into the side of a pillar. The monster growled raising the glowing ax "I've had enough of you!" he roared preparing himself. Link went down to his belt drawing out his dagger when suddenly there was a flash of steel which cut into the monster's back, he howled in pain before he was kicked off of Link. Yunsung stood there along with Talim "GO!" he shouted. Link without a response ran for the stairs as Mitsurugi took a cleave at the monster's side.  
  
Raphael ran up the stairs after Link as the monster roared slamming another blast of flame into the floor, it exploded outward in a ring forcing his new attackers back and he headed for the stairs seeking blood. Truly the Soul Edge shards were doing a great deal to his frame of mind. Mitsurugi growled as he looked up at the Master Sword unsure of how Link was going to get to it as it was a good thirty feet from its nearest ledge. Talim and Yunsung looked back at the other taking notice of how the others watched with concern, but the expression on Drake's face was different. Almost as if he couldn't believe that Link continued to draw breath.  
  
After a good number of stairs Link came to a halt at the edge of the third floor, spying his sword a good distance from him stabbed into the ceiling. He looked back as Raphael moved out of the stairwell and the monster followed just in time to get the Flambert in his side "Get your sword boy!" Raphael shouted as he ducked a flying ax at his head. Link breathed as he rushed back and then got a running start towards the edge of the floor. The monster looked up and ignoring Raphael charged and hurled another blast towards the legs of the running hylian hopping to send him off the edge and to the ground.  
  
Link reached the edge of the destroyed floor just as the blast came towards his feet. His hand dropped to his belt gripping something that was a dark blue and silver, however just as he jumped up and prepared to use it a deafening explosion went off behind him. His hand left the device as he flew over the gap and spotted his sword, one hand shot out as he passed it and he felt himself swing on his well stuck blade. He breathed as he hung in the air for a moment before he inverted himself, he brought his feet to touch the ceiling as he pulled on his blade which had been stabbed pretty well into the stone.  
  
The monster growled as he watched these events unfold and tore away from Raphael who made a final slash cutting down the creature's back "Running away already?!" Raphael taunted as the monster rushed for the edge. The french swordsman then noticed Link's scenario and his eyes went wide as he grabbed a fallen piece of rubble and chucked it hard at the monster who caught it right in the head before he made the jump. The sheer power of his body allowed him to easily clear the gap and he flew for Link with his ax.  
  
Link however knew exactly what was happening and wasn't about to be killed by that demon from the Venice harbor and reinforced his grip. Just as the monster came close enough he yanked a great deal harder and the sacred blade was freed from its stone sheath. Now, without the support that kept him to the ceiling, Link was sent into a back spin which slammed the blade of the Master Sword into the demon as a result. The demon screamed in agony as the blade cut into him and forced him down towards the floor.  
  
Siegfried and the others watched in amazement as Link corrected himself in mid air and dropped down driving the blade straight through the monster's back riding him down to the ground floor. The demon absorbed a good deal of the impact and his eerie green blood sprayed across the floor he struck, Link withdrew his sword and then jumped down. He grabbed the monster's neck pulling him up and then proceeded to deliver three consecutive slashes to the monster's mid section before he whirled around and struck again. Energy seemed to explode from his sword as he struck the monster sending him flying far into a nearby wall.  
  
Cassandra held her heart over her chest as she had been watching closely, Link had not been this powerful before and she had seen those tricks before back in England when Arus'Nei had struck Talim, Yunsung and Drake away from him. Link's eyes had changed even before he managed to get his hands back on the Master Sword, they were now glowing a light blue and he possessed another energy that was like an extension of his own. Link slowly raised his sword up towards the monster who struggled to get back to his feet, the shards of the Soul Edge were glowing. Burning with the sheer frustration running through the monster's soul, he roared out swearing as he forced his body to heal, clearly his powers were weakening.  
  
Link narrowed his eyes as he saw this and did something that was rather unexpected, he held up the Master Sword and stabbed it into the floor next to him. He then removed his bow from his back that appeared to be intact and placed an arrow in it, everybody then felt the new energy as he a freezing wind blew through the area. The winds whirled around the elven swordsman as he held up his bow and a blue light shined very brightly on the tip of the arrow, before the entire arrow glowed. He then released it just as the creature stepped away from the wall.  
  
The arrow buzzed through the air and struck the monster hard in the chest sending him slamming against the wall, everybody then gasped as something else happened that none of them had seen before them. The arrow burst as it stopped moving and ice materialized outward from the wound caking over the left side of the monster's body, the monster looked up "WHAT THE HELL!?!" he screamed as he raised his ax, but another arrow struck his wrist pinning into the wall covering his right arm and torso in solid ice. A third arrow hit his leg and froze it over as well, the ice sheets had to be at least two feet thick and obviously very cold. The monster grunted and struggled as the ice traveled up his neck covering his head and roared just as he was completely silenced. Link lowered his bow and breathed.  
  
Cassandra was the first to step away from the wall before breaking into full run at Link who looked towards her before his legs gave out and he fell. She slid to a stop and caught him as he fell, his eyes remained open but his breathing was very light. Link looked up at her the brilliant glow still there, taking refuge behind his eyes. Tears welled up in Cassandra's as she held him over the floor and a single hand moved up to moved her hair from her vision before his eyes closed and he went silent. Cassandra hugged him to her unable to express her relief.  
  
The others stepped up as she lowered his head to be placed on the ground a light smile on her face as she realized that there was nothing wrong with him "Its alright, he is asleep." she explained. Yunsung raised an eyebrow "Asleep? You've gotta be kidding me!" he half shouted. Raphael lightly chuckled "I think we all wish we were that relaxed." Sophitia and Kilik both nodded their heads in agreement. Siegfried breathed as he looked up to the sky seeing that the storm was going to come sooner than expected.  
  
Sophitia noticed the same "We'd better take up shelter in the Cathedral tonight. Something tells me going down a mountain in the heavy rain isn't going to be a good idea." Siegfried acknowledged that she was right. As a good number of them broke off to find firewood or find a dry place to set up the fire Cassandra was completely absorbed into Link. He was alive and they had another fragment of the Soul Calibur. She smiled before she stood and followed Kyle and Mina to grab firewood.  
  
Next Chapter: Back From Purgatory  
  
(Voice of Link) As I awake and am told exactly what has happened in the last three weeks I look back upon what I had experienced in the world of my own mind. My meeting with a mysterious presence claiming to know about both of the swords and how they came to be and the information he offered me. As I write and draw out what I was told and what I was shown, many more windows begin to open before us and our quest gains a brighter light.  
  
NOTE: If you haven't figured it out yet, the pastless character which I call Mythran is the Fierce Diety from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Profile will come along with the next chapter. Oh and if you didn't notice, Link has recovered his ability to use magic and he is back. READ AND REVIEW!! NOW!! 


	45. Return From Purgatory

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.

Authors Note: Okay. First off I'd like to say that this story is almost at the halfway point so I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for making this much possible with your reviews. Things are gong to start to pick up as far as action goes as the group begins to learn where they must go to collect the remaining pieces of the Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. We have much more to do.

Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Forty Four: Return From Purgatory

As it had been predicted, the rain did begin to fall and the clouds did begin to clash with their lightning which left the seekers of the shards stranded in the church for the time being. Being at the peak of a small mountain the rain would surely loosen the soil which would come forward in mud slides which could end up being a true problem. There was also the fact that Link was completely unconscious and they couldn't seem to wake him up by any means of shock or sound. They had decided that the best course of action would be to hold their ground until the rain stopped, or until Link returned to the waking world.

Kyle Strife breathed as he held his seat in once of the ancient wooden pews on the first floor keeping his eyes on the securely frozen hell spawn, that was the job the Four Blades had been charged with. Mina was with him and Raphael and Yunsung were standing near the large doors keeping watch on the outside in the event that hostilities might come. Siegfried, Sophitia and Mitsurugi were nearby setting up a large fire where they could gather around when the cold of the evening began to bear down upon them. Maxi had stowed their supplies in the corner and was standing watch over them, frequently Talim would appear and retrieve something simple for Kilik, Xianghua, Taki and Cassandra who were watching over their still sleeping comrade.

"Do you think he will wake up?" Kyle looked up as Mina asked him this clearly concerned. He breathed before speaking "Link took on that monster in Istanbul, he fought that Charade thing and later Nightmare. If he could survive after what happened to him I have no worries." Mina shook her head announcing that she wasn't worried about Link, she was talking about their icy prisoner. Kyle looked at the Hellspawn. His power was very low but his eyes were open and were glowing, he was conscious but there was nothing he was able to do while he was trapped behind a sheet of solid ice. "Drake is also beginning to worry me." she followed up.

Kyle breathed as he looked to one of the still intact windows where the young wind warrior sat cleaving a stone over the edge of his blade, he was brooding over something and it was all a blur to Kyle as to what it could possibly be. "Hurph. Let him sulk all he wants, I think he's losing his nerve." Yunsung looked away as Mina looked towards him. Kyle breathed "Your pathetic sometimes, you know that." Yunsung simply huffed and continued to stand his post with Raphael who dismissed this all together. He wanted to ask Link exactly what was going on. After watching him come from such an immense power, he wanted to know exactly what was going on.

After reorganizing they had moved Link to one of the rooms on the second level of the cathedral where they had taken the liberty of patching up a few of his remaining scratches and scraps. Kilik and Xianghua's knowledge from their travels provided the fact he was exhausted from everything that had happened and that he was in a very deep sleep. Deep enough that they had given up on waking him and decided to let him get his rest. Taki felt relieved as well as she still hadn't paid him back for the inner peace he had brought her back in Venice. Cassandra meanwhile was just happy that he was still with them, but it was a joy that she couldn't possibly begin to bring to words.

It was getting late into the evening when Cassandra found herself left alone to watch over Link, the others decided to discuss what to do next with Siegfriend and Sophitia, who had become the unofficial leaders of the group. It was likely that they would be returning to Athens as many of them were exhausted and they needed a place to concentrate on what to do next. There was clearly little left to do in the north and it was likely that they would have to move towards the east before they found anymore shards. Lost in her thought she barely realized how heavy her eyes had become and drifted off herself.

She woke up a questionable amount of time later, anywhere between seconds and minutes to be greeted with a sight she had not expected to see. Link was sitting up, the bandages on his shirtless chest catching the light from the full moon. His hair stretched down covering his eyes as one hand held over the general area he had been stabbed in while the other rested on his forehead. He sucked in a breathed before twisting his neck which sounded off in a tense cracking sound clearly preparing himself for whatever the day ahead would bring. His hands then slowly moved to his head and he let out a light groaned of discomfort. 

He looked around taking in his surroundings and the air. He murmured something in a dialect she couldn't understand whatsoever, he breathed out before he looked up towards the younger of the sisters and blinked once before speaking. Her names was mixed in with that some language but it was clearly a question. Her confused eyes said it all as Link spoke again "Sorry, I forgot myself... "Cassandra? What have I been missing?" he asked rather casually. Cassandra's heart skipped a beat as she jumped up and moved towards him losing her balance and falling towards him. Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath as Link caught her around her waist, her own arms moved around his neck almost by instinct. Cassandra pulled in his scent, trying to cleanse herself of any doubt that he had returned to them...to her.

Link returned Cassandra's embrace as he knew that whatever amount of time had passed, his body had been used to some means by the essence which had been hold up in the back of his mind for a great amount of time. Cassandra looked up into Link's eyes and she breathed "Are you really back?" she questioned him, slowly, her voice stumbling over the simple question. Link breathed looking at her "It certainly looks that way." he said with a forced smile, clearly still in a great deal of pain from his ordeals.

Cassandra hugged him again and backed off as Link breathed looking up at her able to read her like a book "I know you must have questions. I'll try to answer them but first..." his stomach let out a demanding growl and Cassandra couldn't help but laugh loudly at this. It could be assumed that whatever had been using Link's body didn't exactly sit down for a meal. Cassandra smiled before helping Link to his feet "It has been three weeks since the mansion, everybody is downstairs. You can try to explain everything to them too." Link nodded as he followed Cassadra, not bothering to recover his tunic. There was no real point.

Within moments everybody in the group had caught Cassandra's announcement and were sitting around the fire that was burning where the altar would normally be, all eyes focused on Link who was taking bite after bite from a loaf of bread clearly famished. The other seekers had gathered around the fire on the first floor, a number of them sitting on the fallen pieces of the structure that that Spawn creature and Link's strange second identity had knocked down. Those who knew Link better sat closer to him and the others were just behind them, Drake however sat off to the sides. He narrowed his eyes at Link "I'll bet I get blamed for this." he caught the gaze of Yunsung and huffed before looking back out the window.

Sophitia waited until Link managed to fulfill his three week hunger before she finally asked what everybody else was thinking "Can you tell us exactly what happened to you? Where you have been and who was that man was earlier?" Link breathed as he starred into the crackling fire, his eyes still lightly glowing, evidence of his recovered power. "To be honest I really haven't a clue what my body has been doing in the conscious world. The last things I remember is being pierced on that cliff, falling back and hitting the water, the next time I open my eyes I have this demon coming after my head." he said thumbing back to the Hellspawn.

"I still don't understand how such wounds could be healed in three weeks. Mind explaining that?" Taki requested clearly suspicious of him. Link leaned forward bringing his hands together "It was likely the work of another entity that has been hibernating in the back of my mind, he took refuge within me after I invoked his power in a battle with a creature called Majora. The mask his power and spirit had been stored in was left vacant. He apparently has some connection to the Soul Calibur and some sort of vendetta against the Soul Edge, that is probably why he hunted down this creature." he said looking towards the hellspawn.

Link breathed "As for where I have been." he said pushing the reference to himself "I have spent the last three weeks in the back of my own mind attempting to do as I was told. Finding the power that had gone missing on my journey here." he explained. Cassandra remembered Arus'Nei saying something along those lines. Before long she would need to ask what the truth was behind them. Mina looked at him "Mind explaining to us exactly what happened to you, as a presence?" Link breathed as he nodded his head and picked up from when he fell from the cliff...

Link wasn't exactly thrilled about telling them about his apparent vision, this dream had been a nightmare on so many levels that chewed at his very soul, a literal translation of his entire life flashing before his eyes. As he felt his consciousness slip, the salt of the ocean burning in his wounds and the warmth departing from his blood he was still falling. He fell into darkness and felt the icy claws of death snatch out at him. Link's mind had blurred as the shadows saturated his being. His body grew numb and his eyes were pulled shut. An endless sleep took him one that would not be broken so easily as the last.

"A voice called out to me from the darkness, one that I could never forget no matter how much I have been through. She has always been by my side as a friend and ally. I didn't question what was going on. I only forced myself to my feet and made my way through the darkness ignoring my wounds." Link hand seemed to move to where he had once been injured but he continued none the less "Her voice called me over the void urging me forward until a light was before me. I looked up as something massive struck the ground in the distance and a wall of flame washed over me throwing me back." he looked as the gripped eyes around him "Like many things, it makes no sense to me..."

"I regained consciousness and found myself in the middle of a grassy field which seemed to stretch on forever. Several fading faces from my past looked back at me before rushing towards a large three that came from what seemed to be the center of this valley. They were my friend from my home, though their physical states were that of around twelve years ago...my own fears and anxiety were attempting to destroy me even as I was pulling at the veil to the afterlife..." Link took a deep breath clearly somewhat in distress over what he was describing "Skip it." a voice suddenly snapped. He looked to Mitsurugi who sat there next to Taki and Raphael "If it will bring you so much discomfort, such things are none of our business. Skip to the end Link." he ordered.

Link gave a light smile feeling very relieved and picked up on his second awakening, when a voice called out to him as he was ready to give himself to death. The darkness melted away and he found himself standing in a place he had never been before. A pyramid of sorts in the center of an island which was surrounded by a field of clouds and clear skies. The city around him was of buildings constructed from white marble and how a light emanated from the crown of the pyramid "I cannot describe the feeling that I experienced while standing in this place. It was like I had been there before, but had been blind at the time. A breathless voice urged me to the crown of the pyramid." he said. Several of them were gripping such a story.

"I found myself able to stand to my own feet and the feeling of moisture had left my wounds, somehow they had healed and closed without my knowledge. Wanting answers I scaled the pyramid and found a platform at the top that held an alter of sorts, the light shot to the sky from this. And laying at the base of the light was the shard of the Soul Calibur. The one my 'brother' had passed on to me earlier." everybody was now officially confused, wondering how the holy blade had any connection to Link. The elven warrior looked up "Then he stepped forward..." everybody listened.

"A man decked out in black stepped from behind the light an ominous power following him as he appeared before me saying that I had to recover my former power if I was to face my shadow again." Cassandra breathed as it was a clear reference to Arus'Nei. Link continued "He then proceeded to tell me how the Soul Calibur is the only thing that could possibly destroy the Soul Edge for good. It is apparently the only way to eliminate the threat in your world and my own. He seemed to carry me over your world in the blink of an eye and showed me several places and people, claiming they carried the fragments. He then returned and said he would give me the time to rediscover my power, in this holy place where I stood. He also claimed that he would work towards my goals in the meantime." he said.

Kilik spoke up "Those goals would be finding and retrieving the shards of the Soul Edge and Soul Blade, correct?" Link nodded his head and announced that is why he was where he was, tracking the demon from Venice. Maxi swallowed at this "So you mean to tell me that the warrior from before, it was this guy using your body? Why didn't you tell us you had that much power?!" everybody looked to Link for an answer, aside from Yunsung who was eyes the melancholy Drake.

Link shook his head before speaking "As I said before this isn't the first time this has happened. I remained where I was, in the back of my own mind attempting to find my own absent power. I cannot begin to guess his motives, but I am sure it is more than just him trying to preserve my life and his own existence. He has a connection to either the Soul Calibur or Soul Edge and probably has goals of his own. The last thing I remember before waking here is him urging me to retrieve the Soul Calibur and put an end to the eternal war fought between it and the Soul Edge." he said. Clearly something was going on.

Siegfried took a deep breath before speaking "A second soul making its housing within your body, not something I'd normally trust but it doesn't seem to be against us, and you did say it needed your pass before he could take your body." Link nodded his head at the knight's question "It isn't like I had much of a choice, the energy in this place made it so much easier to search myself. The energy of this land is still very strange to me. But now I should be able to at least match Arus'Nei without trouble." everybody seemed enthused by this.

"This is all good news and with that kind of a power on our side it shouldn't be too hard to take the Black Wind down, right?" Raphael questioned. Link exhaled and shook his head "I doubt he will be coming out again. He warned me that this was a one shot deal. He claimed that what little energy he had wouldn't last long once he became involved in a fight." Xianghua nodded and announced how he was using the Soul Calibur shard as a base for his power. The fragment was recovering but it didn't have nearly the amount of energy that it did and would probably be useless until they got the others.

Kilik breathed as he looked at Link "If he took the energy from the fragment as well as whatever amount he might have gotten from you it would explain why your body is so thrashed. My guess is that if he takes directly from you without any assistance your body won't be able to handle it." Link chuckled lightly at this "So I should be careful not to fall off any more cliffs." he received an angry leer from Cassandra, Taki, Kilik and Talim as a result. Link also recieved an open palm upside his head from the annoyed Kyle Strife "Not funny long ears." he spat.

Link shrugged brushing off their glares "It won't be happening again. I don't think I need any more time to myself and I don't plan on coming that close to my end anytime soon. But with my body as thrashed as it is I probably won't be much use to you for a few weeks." he explained. His muscles ached and had become weak. The amount of battle Mythran put his body through left his body without much stamina and it was unlikely he'd be lifting a sword without a good deal of rest. But the good news was that everybody seemed to be in better spirits with his return to them and after the storm passed they would be on the move back to Athens.

Sophitia sucked in a breath as the thunder roared "Looks like we're going to be here a while. Some of us can stand guard down here and the rest of us can take shifts resting. Link you should get some rest." Link shook his head at this "My body might have been active, but I feel like I've been asleep the last three weeks, besides I need to get them down while they are still fresh in my mind." he said before he stood and headed up the stairs. He returned a few moments later with what appeared to be a large flat piece of wood and several sheets of paper on it, he held a long black instrument which seemed to be a piece of soft metal.

He took a seat in the corner on one of the rocks and then began to trace out a number of expertly sketched lines which appeared to be going into a pattern of sorts "What exactly are you doing Link?" Talim questioned. Link chuckled before holding up the drawing instrument "Another skill I learned in my homeland when tracking certain people. Once I see a face I can draw it out and then question their whereabouts. It might be helpful." he said as he continued tracing the lines which seemed to be making up into a roof "Oh yeah. You said that the spirit showed you who had the fragments and where they are!" Talim burst out.

Link nodded his head "Thats right. And just considering how the Soul Calibur seeks out the strongest will to destroy the Soul Edge, perhaps some of our group has knowledge of these people. Thus I will give as much detail as possible." Taki chuckled lightly at this, for all the skills she had learned and been forced to learn through scenario, this kid was really beginning to make her and some of the others look bad. Taki and Mitsurugi decided to take first watch along with Yunsung and Drake who didn't seem to anxious to be moving. Taki however couldn't help but raise and eyebrow as Cassandra followed Link up the stairs. She gave a light smile at the younger athenian as her depression and sorrow had been lifted.

Link worked on four different sketches at a time not wanting to lose them if his memory gave out on him, all of them were buildings at this point as he claimed that he knew he'd forget them first. Cassandra watched his movements as they had taken up on a large room on the third floor, a lantern rested beside them giving them light. Cassandra rested her head on Link's shoulder which he seemed to accept as he was finishing the rough outline of a building, she breathed in his scent unable to put to words how happy she was. Suddenly he spoke "How did you find me?" he asked suddenly "I know that the Soul Edge shards were first priority, how did you guys know where I was going to be?" he asked as he lifted his pencil.

"Arus'Nei told us." Link looked up and then over to her. She looked to the floor as she moved off his shoulder and brought her hands together "Not long after everything had happened we followed the Soul Calibur fragment. Arus'Nei confronted us and told us of a warrior that moved through a town which we suspected was him, there were no deaths so we shouldn't have bothered suspecting him." Link took in a breathed before shaking his head "He is obsessed over taking revenge by destroying me, it is likely that he watched even after I was struck down at the cliffs. He wouldn't be able to accept that." he explained.

Cassandra looked back up at him "He said a great deal more as well. Link, please tell me the truth. Are you two really brothers by the same blood?" she questioned. Link placed his sketch down on the floor and took in a breath "It all depends upon how you look at such things, we have the same parents and others have confirmed that I once had a twin. Records of my birth however show that my parents only had one child and some of those that knew my parents try to avoid the subject all together. He is my brother in some way or form, but I can no longer recall it. I didn't want it messing up my life." Cassandra moved closer to him.

Link breathed before punching his fist into the ground weakly "After he appeared and threatened Hyrule and I had apparently slain him, I tossed it from my mind. I didn't want to know of it. I didn't want to remember it. It was a sickening memory that betrayed something I had always believed. One way or another he is my brother, my twin and my blood. At the same time he is my darkness that now only exists to see my end. There is no getting through to him, but it isn't all his fault. Whatever happened to him has driven him into an anger that cannot be quenched by anything short of my death. My own brother is my worst enemy, and our only true agreement is that one must be destroyed." Link breathed out.

Cassandra moved closer to Link and wrapped her arms around him which took him aback, he moved his arms slowly up around her "You've been through too much to be forced through such a thing. He went on about how your existence is the reason for his suffering, don't believe him. Whatever happened to him is not your fault." Link held her close to him "I do not have the grace to pity him after all he has done. I don't know what he has been through, I assume forget the past and move on. He isn't going to let it go. I must fight him." Cassandra hugged him again "Please. Don't do anything stupid." Link kissed her head softly in response "I promise." he said.

Next Chapter: Turn Of The Winds

(Voice of Talim) The winds are known to weave and turn without warning. Moving from a gentle breeze one moment to a destructive force the very next. As the winds of fortune has returned our friend, the winds of betrayal must take another from us. As a long lost friend turns to an enemy I find myself losing my grip on the quest. An enemy is one that fights against another for completely different ideals, but what is a person who fights against another to protect those he cares about...Don't do this to us, Drake. 


	46. Turn Of The Winds

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.

Authors Note: Okay. In responce to reviews I don't know what this is about seven swords, but I am going off of all the intelligence I have gathered on the series. I'm trying to keep it as simple as I can and if you have read other stories it isn't easy for me. Link may still have the triforce but it is nowhere nearly as powerful away from Hyrule. He took it with him to split up the trio and keep anybody from ever getting their hands on all three. Also as far as this chapter goes I appologize if anybodies favorites end up looking weak.

Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Forty Five: Turn Of The Winds

It had been a solid three weeks since she had struck down that meddling elf and after spending some time taking anything of value from a few nearby cities along the coast and now they were finally heading back to the fortress on Kestral Island. There they would be able to rendevous with the rest of the Black Wind and see exactly what kind of power they had from what they had collected. There was also the matter of her servent who was still out on his extended journey to capture the shards, now it was a mission to bring back intelligence on just how much their opposition had.

Ivy was however disturbed with a good number of things, shortly after they retreated from the Valentine Estate the shadow of the elf vanished without a word. And now that they were just leaving into the ocean one of the random orcs informed her of a shadow that was lurking near the front of the ship and had struck down three Uruk-Hai that approached it. Ivy knew that the White Wind wouldn't have been able to stow away and had a pretty good idea of who it was, she decided to take it upon herself to check out exactly what was going on, but in the event she was wrong the Valentine was still alongside her.

The wind was blowing and the rain seemed to come from the darkness to pound upon the deck of the ship, Ivy ignored it as she pulled her cloak lightly around her body and then stepped forward spying the spray of the blood on the deck. She then looked up as a figure just ahead of her hoisted up one and hurled it over board where it smashed into the water, he then averted his glowing crimson gaze towards her. She crossed her arms "Angry about something Arus'Nei?" she questioned. He growled lightly under his throat as he looked down at the convulsing Uruk-Hai at his feet. He shouted as he kicked the creature up and then off the ship before looking towards Ivy.

The temptress didn't flinch as the shadowed Hylian glared at her almost with the intent to kill, he stepped towards her and his hand drew out his blade which came at her in a stabbing motion. She swiped Valentine up to close against the side of the Shadow Sword as it stopped just off the tip of her neck. Arus'Nei spoke with a growl "Link is my target, if you try that again I will not hesitate to kill you." he said before withdrawing his blade. She lowered her own blade as he stepped to the side of the ship "What is to try again? Sorry if you feel robbed but you have to face the fact that he is dead! You have to live up to your end of the deal." Arus'Nei simply chuckled.

He looked back at her with a smirk of amusement "You would be wise to never under estimate either of us, our kind is much more durable than your own. He is alive and you would be foolish to drop your guard until after you've seen a body." Ivy huffed at Arus'Nei's confidence in the elf of the lighter side "I don't need to see anything, I felt my sword pierce him and then he fell into the ocean. No mortal man could ever survive something like that." Arus'Nei shook his head giving up "Believe what you wish temptress, just don't blame me when it comes back to haunt you. It's a mistake both of us have made time and time again." he explained.

Ivy growled before shaking her head "Believe whatever you want dark boy, I won't lose any sleep over it. I must however thank you for your information, it took a little while but I was able to draw one thing from your home realm." Arus'Nei lightly smirked. Before he went off on his persuit he had taken the time to explain the coordinates of the dark realm where he had been forced to remain for so long "I apologize if you were only able to draw out my pet, figured he'd be the only one to respond to my name. Otherwise they only listen to my voice." he explained.

Ivy breathed. Everytime she spoke with the likes of this man she felt a little smaller. After managing to free Diablos and Anubis from their prison of the earth dark realm she had fancied herself as a master of summoning. But with just his instructions and the words of his requesting assistance from any powerful enough to cross through the pentagram she had drawn out a monster beyond her expectations. She looked back at the creature that stood on the front of the ship perched there, awaiting orders from its master.

Arus'Nei crossed his arms as he looked up at the creature figuring that Ivy must not have been nearly as skilled as he was lead to believe, but it was more than enough for the moment. Ivy suddenly looked up as she felt the Valentine rumbled in its sheath taking on a glow, she smiled lightly "Seems that Drake is finally ready." she chuckled. The stone she had given him not only detected the shards, it also connected to Valentine and acted as a signal for when he would be ready to be picked up. Though Diablos had agreed to the duty it was not possible as he was back on Nightmare's ship and hundreds of miles away.

Ivy approached the creature and Arus'Nei looked back at her as the monster raised its impressive wing span not knowing wether or not roasting her was the good idea. Arus'Nei shook his head and the creature stood down as Ivy approached "I have a request to make of you shadow boy." she said. The nickname was beginning to get on his nerves "I want you to go on your pet and retrieve my servant before he is found out. Otherwise it is unlikely he will be able to hold that little group off." Arus'Nei chuckled before he looked to his pet.

Arus'Nei looked at Ivy and lightly narrowed his eyes as if the potential of himself and his loyal partner had been insulted. He looked back at the monsterous winged creature "Razgriz. Follow the trail of the Soul Edge and retrieve the boy who is given power by it, do not make your approach until he has them in his possession." the creature closed its burning red eyes before its wings snapped out and it vanished into the night creating several gusts of wind which ruffled the masts of the ship. Arus'Nei stepped up to the confused Ivy "My pet isn't a simple animal my dear. He was smart enough to wait where I bid him for all these months and he knows exactly who he is looking for." Ivy breathed lightly remembering that Arus'Nei had some form of magic at his disposal that his brother had lacked.

He leaned forward getting in her face to the point she could feel his breath on her neck thanks to the three inch height advantage "Without a doubt, he'll succeed." Ivy crossed her arms as she stepped back from the intimidating warrior "And what if he doesn't?" Arus'Nei chuckled before walking off "He won't. But in the event he does, you can decide." he said before stepping off.

"Obnoxious little boy, arn't you?" Ivy chuckled as the shadow of Link vanished towards the back of the ship, though it was tempting to think of something creative, first thing was first. She drew Valentine out and looked at the glow, it was very bright and Drake was clearly ready to get this done and be retrieved. Ivy just hoped that he wouldn't question his sanity when his ride came in the form of a mythical beast only heard of in fairy tales. Ivy realized that she still didn't know where the shadow and the elf she had killed had come from, she had to find out before long.

Link breathed as he continued to draw out the construct of the building which he had been working on off the image of his mind for the last hour. Attention to detail was vital as he was pretty sure they couldn't afford to make any mistakes about identification. He had stationed himself on a part of the third floor that wasn't taking on rain, he had completed rough outlines of the people he had seen and decided to start on buildings. Cassandra stayed beside him along with a few of the others. Kyle and Mina were both watching this certain drawing rather intently and the Trio and Talim examined the other pieces he had along with Taki.

Link breathed as he took his pencil from the paper and held it out to Mina who had told him it seemed familiar just earlier "Does this fortress mean anything to you?" he questioned, able to tell from the structure that it was some sort of military building. Mina took it and her eyes went wide "This is a base of the Korean Costal Defense Force!" she said able to judge that by the emblem and writing on the building which Link obviously couldn't read. Link picked up one of the rough drafts and then began sketching out on it "This man was standing before the structure in my vision, if you know the building. Perhaps you know him." he said.

He added in a pair of serious eyes, a bandana holding up spiked hair, some other features and then topped it off with the ears. It wasn't completed, but it was well enough for Mina who looked over Link's shoulder "No way! Kyle, its Hwang!" she said. The very mention of the Burning Patriot, Yunsung's one time hero and his rival brought Kyle's attention to the picture "Well I'll be damned." he murmured. Kilik looked up from the back of the room "So this 'Hwang' has a shard of the Soul Calibur. If Seung Mina and Kyle know him it shouldn't be a great task to acquire it, right?" Mina nodded her head.

Link breathed as he intertwined his fingers and pushed them outwards, his tired ligaments popping one after another as he did so. He breathed as he picked up another piece of paper and let out a yawn. It was obvious that keeping his brain wrapped around what might as well have been a dream was no easy task, but after pointing out Hwang it was clear that it was a vision of sorts and not just a random dream. Link continued his drawing on a rough outline which appeared to be balding man with markings around his skull, the others watched and some began to fall asleep.

He breathed as he looked around seeing Xianghua and Kilik up against one anothers shoulders and Maxi was lightly snoring next to them. Mina had dropped off as well next to Kyle who contemplated taking her to the second floor where the others were sleeping. Cassandra's head fell against his shoulder and her hands were braced on his uninjured side holding her up. Link breathed as he found himself unable to find fatigue as the last few weeks were a mental sleep for him mind and his body was recovering. He looked up before smiling lightly and began to trace out Kilik and Xianghua figuring it would make for good entertainment sometime in the future.

Taki opened one eye to spy Link's actions and chuckled lightly as she crossed her arms over her casual emerald garb which had taken the place of her normal red attire, being that she wasn't going into combat anytime soon. She spoke up to Link "Is this talent of yours an aquired skill or a hobby?" she questioned him. Link looked up and smiled to Taki "I just find it interesting. These two are so intense and hot blooded while conscious over this journey, the amount of peace I sense from their slumber is quite calming. Should this end you will all need a way to remember me by." he said as he traced their features. Taki chuckled lightly at the idea of being drawn by the mysterious elf.

On the second floor down those that were not around slept in one of the rooms that still had a few mattresses present, obviously once lodging for the devoted of the cathedril. Sophitia had been the one to point this out and had decided that they would take three hours to themselves and then allow somebody else to enjoy the comforts that didn't come along while in the field. While Raphael and Raphael had taken two of the three mattresses, Mitsurugi had spurned it and had sat down against a wall falling into a rather light sleep. Siegfried meanwhile stood in the corner his large blade leaning against his shoulder and his arms crossed over his chest.

Back in the cathedral where the ominous warrior battled with the powerful hellspawn the latter of the two warriors remained trapped in his icey prison. The ice was still gripping him to the wall and had become solid without much chance of melting in the autumn weather and although his head was poking through he remained unconscious and the Soul Edge shards remained dormant in his outstretched ax. As the night ticked by his body unconsciously twitched and struggled at its confinement, it however ceased as a single silhouette appeared in the area accented by the camp fire light in the center of the ground floor. 

The shadow's left hand clutched around a glowing red stone as he raised it to stuff back under his shirt and he took a breath before stepping towards the trapped creature drawing out a single tanto from behind his waist. He took several hacks at the ice that was around the ax before finding it open to the air once again, he then looked at the three Soul Edge shards that were imbedded in the frame and breathed. The point of his blade then dug in acting like a pry to loosen the forsaken piece of metal. As the first Soul Edge shard left the unidentified steel of the ax the Hellspawn felt a good drop in his power and snapped into consciousness.

His first sight was that of a blond haired young man in his middle teens bringing up a glowing piece of steel up to inspect it, clearly a piece of the Soul Edge he had been deployed to collect. A growl collected in the back of his throat as he recognized him as that brat he had hurled across the Venican harbor "The fuck are you doing?!" he half shouted before the boys bright blue eyes darted to him and he recieved the flat end of the blade, swung baseball bat style upside his forehead sending him right back into unconsciousness. The boy then proceeded the pry the pieces of steel from the monster's weapon until he found himself with a trio of them, more than enough to please his masters.

However the shouts of the hellspawn had not gone unnoticed and as the boy found himself slipping the last piece of the Soul Edge into a pouch he heard footsteps right behind him. He narrowed his eyes having already figured out who it was, the same overconfident fool who had been suspecting him since the beginning. His voice spoke out suspicious and demanding of an answer "Drake. Just what in the world do you think your doing?" he said and the sound of a sword being drawn could be heard. The young man breathed before sheathing his blade behind his waist and turning his head back lightly to look at the hot blooded red head.

He spoke up in a calm and confident voice "Just something that I have been trying to do ever since you guys first invited me to tag along..." he said before he swiftly turned and his hand shot up to pull Yunsung's sword out of stance. His free hand then came back and then shot forward slamming into the Korean's chest causing him to reel in pain. He then had his legs sweeped out from under him as the other young man darted for the entrance, stopped and looked back "I'm leaving." he said simply before he darted again. Yunsung growled before jumping to his feet "Traitor! Get back here!" he shouted.

Yunsung's scream echoed through most of the cathedril and several of the seekers woke with a start and moved towards the downstairs to find out exactly what was going on. Link and Cassandra along with everybody else on the third floor regained consciousness just in time to see Taki prepare herself and then jump out a window sliding down the wall of the church. Link jumped to his feet but his eyes shot open as he dropped back holding his side and was forced to watch Kilik and Talim moved out and following the shouts of Yunsung after an unidentified person who could have been anybody from where they were.

Drake dashed through the rain storm so fast that had it not been for the shine of his uncut hair in the moonlight he would have been able to slip away. The trail had become slick with mud and many would have found it difficult to navigate, but Drake hit it and flattened his feet sliding down and finding solid ground before continuing. Yunsung slipped but managed to recover and give chase all while Taki, Talim and Kilik were slowed by the downgrade of the mountain. This would put them a good amount of time behind, but it was unlikely they would lose Yunsung as he was heading straight for a cliff.

Of all the bad luck he had to run into a cliff which had a good four hundred feet to fall and he wasn't in the mood to meet those jagged rocks at the bottom either. Drake looked back as Yunsung stepped out onto the cliff from the path and held up his blade towards Drake "Give back the shards!" he shouted pointing towards the glowing pouch on Drake's belt. The younger warrior narrowed his eyes at Yunsung and spoke "No. I will take them for the moment, and you clearly lack the strength to control them, much less bare the weight on your pathetic soul." he said essentially challenging Yunsung's mantle.

The Korean growled before he rushed at Drake with his blade forgetting about anything the others might say he took a swing with hopes of decaptitating the wind warrior. Drake dropped to the ground at the last possibly moment and sent his fist to connect sharply with Yunsung's gut. The enraged warrior put a great deal of power behind swings at the young man, but he dodges each blow with unbelievable accuracy which ended in a leaping snap kick to Yunsung's jaw which sent him slamming into the dirt. The White Storm bounced across the ground before dropping to rest on the dirt of the cliff where Drake stood.

Yunsung growled as he gripped the side of his pained jaw which he was lucky had not been shattered by the attack, he trembled before striking the ground with his first. It was at this instance that several of the other seekers appeared down the trail save for the wounded Link, the unawoken Maxi and Cassandra who had to force the brash elf to not hurt himself. Taki had entered right at the instant Yunsung had struck the ground and had identified it as one of the Fu-Ma's standard counters. Talim was even more in shock as she rushed forward witnessing Drake picking up Yunsung's sword and scoffing before throwing it towards the rock wall and away from the Korean.

"Drake what are you doing?!" she shouted, her words however fell upon deaf ears as Drake looked down at the shaken Yunsung who glared back "Talim don't even try! He is not our ally!" he shouted as he jumped up to attack again only to have his arm grabbed. Drake then twisted around and swung Yunsung over his shoulder to slam him into the dirt bringing significant pain to his back. Talim shook her head as this was clearly one of her own techniques "No. He wouldn't betray us! Yunsung, just stop!" she shouted out still convinced that Yunsung was attempting to get at Drake's throat.

Drake breathed as Yunsung got up onto his knees and looked back "Talim! He is a traitor! That pouch on his hip, those are the shards!" he shouted. Everybody looked up either stunned and taken in by this astounding announcement several of them unable to believe that Drake would do this. The multiple trained warrior looked down at Yunsung as he glared up at him "He has betrayed us!" he shouted. Drake scoffed "Try saying something that isn't that obvious you fool." he said taunting Yunsung into jumping to attack again drawing a small knife from his boot and taking a downwards stabbing motion at Drake who shot his arm up to catch the attacking arm.

The first punch from the right arm ment to hide the attack from the knife was easily dodged and the knife was intercepted. Before Yunsung could retaliate Drake's free hand shot up to sock Yunsung across the face before the Korean's arm was twisted behind his back held up straight. Drake then struck the back of his knee forcing him to the ground and brought his right hand down in a blade motion on the middle of Yunsung's forearm resulting in a sharp snap which was following by a howl of pain from Yunsung. Drake then tossed the defeated Korean to the ground where he landed grasping at his broken left arm.

Drake looked at the knife that had been pointed at his head and hurled it at Yunsung where it struck home in his left leg causing him to jump up and grasp for it "That is how I respond to underhanded tricks like that, feel fortunate I didn't just remove your arm from your shoulder." he threatened as Talim rushed to the fallen Korean painfully ripping the knife from his leg. The freshly arrived Seung Mina meanwhile moved up to hold up her weapon prepared to defend her father's second finest student. Talim looked at the dagger and then to Drake tears forming in her eyes "What is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this?!" she shouted.

Drake's expression lost its threatening appearance for a second as he felt the guilt begin to sink in, Sophitia however addressed him "What do you gain from those three shards?" she demanded drawing her sword. Drake looked down at the pouch before speaking up with narrowed eyes "Insurance of my own interest. I am a bodyguard and personal mercenary serving under Isabella Valentine, though I'm sure you know her as Ivy." Raphael looked up and narrowed his eyes. They had all heard of Ivy having a young servant, but never would have guessed Drake. He paced light "My reasons are my own, but make no mistake I am not now, nor was I ever your ally."

At these words Mitsurugi, Raphael and Taki all drew their blades not about to let Drake pass knowing his intentions for the shards. Raphael had tossed out all skepticism about Isabella since Link was nearly killed by her and would not let his past with her interfere. Mitsurugi felt guilt in striking down one of such potential, but couldn't just let him get away. It was an internal struggle for Taki. While he claimed to have been taught by Byakko the original creator of the Fu-Ma style was not one who burden Drake further with it. She wanted to interrogate him further.

Suddenly Drake snapped into stance as he looked back feeling a gust of wind before a massive shadow appeared behind them and a stream of flame rushed from its throat lighting up the air above them. Sophitia looked up "A dragon?!" she shouted clearly not believing her own eyes, Drake looked back as the dragon nudged its head back as if to hail him forward. He shrugged and backflipped through the air and landed on the creature's back taking hold of a pair of spikes that jutted from the shoulders. They looked up at him not looking anxious to fight this new threat Drake spoke up "Everybody has their own priorities and while I wish not to burden you, your going to have to get through me sooner or later." he said almost directly to those who had known him.

He looked at Taki as she stood there and breathed before removing something from behind his belt and then made eye contact with the huntress "You all have your own as well, and a little hope wouldn't hurt." he said before tossing something at her. A small disk struck the ground at her feet and in a gust of wind the dragon repositioned itself towards the sky "The wind blows in many ways. But I will not wish those of fortune or curse upon them, I'll just let the streams run themselves." he said before the dragon took off into the sky leaving them all with only more questions.

Talim dropped to her knees and her fingers dug into the dirt and several of them contemplated what to do as Taki knelt and picked up the disk. Scratched out in very shoddy Japanese was a barely legible message "I was taught by Byakko as well as others. To my knowledge, Hitkiri still draws breath." the message was tapped off with the seal of the Hitkiri clan. Yugo's family the same as one her pendant. She looked up as the silhouette vanished and narrowed her eyes vowing that she would find him and force him to spill his guts on whatever else he knew.

Eventually a question came from Xianghua as Mina tended to making a sling for Yunsung's injured limb which had been broken right in the forearm "What do we do now? We've lost three shards, a good source of information and an ally." Yunsung growled lightly demanding that she not address him as such though the Chinese flower ignored him. There was silence among the group before Siegfried spoke "We should head to Athens and allow the wounded to recover. Link has already proven to know much by pointing out Mina's friend, we should allow him time to finish his work, while the rest of us can ease our minds. Lets return to where this started." he said. Everybody agreed.

Next Chapter: Of Loyalty and Betrayal

(Voice of Mitsurugi) In the world there is so many situations where the hand must the forced there are just as many reasons that life is not crafted to be fair. Friction develops between the young bloods over the betrayal that we have suffered, and creates anger. Taki's concern is replaced by relief, but still places her heart beyond our purpose. The loyalty of the wind rider is questioned by those that hold his leash as well, he stands upon the paper that is the Black Wind's trust. As a mercenary one's blade is for sale, but never his loyalty. 


	47. Of Loyalty and Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.

Authors Note: Not much really to say aside from the fact that this is another chapter between main events. I am growing a little low on ideas for the future or how to build relationships between characters. I will ask you to give opinions on the couples and where certain relationships should go in the near future as part of your review.

Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Forty Six: Of Loyalty and Betrayal

"Unbelievable." Link grumbled as all of the group found themselves down on the ground floor of the Cathedral, it was his reaction to the grim story that had just been told. Cassandra didn't seem to believe it either, but the condition of their youngest Korean comrade seemed to broadcast that it was true. Talim had been brought back with Mina helping her to walk, clearly devastated by this turn of events. Yunsung walked back on his own fuming and demanding that he was fine whenever one requested to assist him, Kilik and Xianghua seemed relatively on edge and it appeared that Taki and Mitsurugi had a lot on their minds. Drake had betrayed them and it was effecting the unity of the group.

Siegfried who had stayed back during the pursuit spoke up "How can we know that he is truly a member of the Black Wind. He might have been using it as a ruse to keep us off his trail, send us back after Nightmare and his people." a few of them thought about this but Sophitia looked up with disagreement "No. Whatever manner of creature that is, it was not from this world. It was also no creature that has been empowered by the Soul Edge. It must have come from those two sorcerers." Link mentally kicked himself, he had completely forgotten that Renzo and Karenna even existed.

Cassandra looked at how Link's face twisted at the mention of a winged creature and decided to speak in his place "What manner of creature was this thing?" she requested of her sister looking towards Link. The elf breathed and requested to know. Sophitia brought a hand to her chin as she spoke thinking of every detail she could give "For lack of better terms it was a winged dragon like in all those stories. It's body was accented in black and gray from what I saw, its eyes burned red as the fire it breathed. It had a pair of horned coming from the head and its jaws were lined with sharp looking teeth. It also seemed to know exactly where to go and didn't even have a rider leading it on." Link growled lightly as he remembered the telepathic connection between his apparent brother and his pet "Razgriz." he murmured.

Talim looked up with her tear streaked eyes as if to question this, Mina held her shoulders in attempts to comfort this girl that reminded her of herself. Maxi took notice that neither of the two could question and decided to himself "What the heck is a Razgriz?" he questioned. Link leaned forward bringing his hands together "Razgriz was a rare dragon that terrorized my homeland before eventually allying with my bro...Arus'Nei. How that bastard managed to bring him out into this realm is beyond me." he growled lightly.

Mitsurugi shrugged in the corner before speaking up "That harlot Valentine must have had something to do with it. If she could free a pair such as Diablos and Anubis from this worlds darkness, it isn't likely that it would have been difficult to bring an ill mannered beast through." he explained, Link nodded agreeing. Raphael breathed as he noticed his fists tighten as if he was ready to turn and lash out at the samurai warrior for saying such words, he still felt he needed to defend the honor of Isabella. To what reason he did not understand and it was beginning to frighten him, he wondered if he too would fall under the sway of the Soul Edge.

Kilik breathed as he looked up from his place on one of the half shattered pews which had been broken during the fighting earlier "I'll also take it that if she pulled it from your country, the knowledge possessed by those two sorcerers could be a real problem." he said remembering just how harsh some parts of Link's world was. Link shook his head lightly before speaking "It isn't likely they could do much to empower her as they probably don't understand the energies of this world. Like Arus'Nei and myself their powers have their limits although they are currently being fueled by their shards of the Soul Edge."

Kyle breathed as he sat down on a loose piece of stone and glanced back at the dreadfully unconscious creature that was still pinned to the wall "I say considering that we got back Link in exchange for Drake we shouldn't complain. He has betrayed us and we're going to have to accept that, still I have my doubts." Raphael looked up from his place tending to the fire at the leader of their small group "What do you mean by that?" he questioned. The pained Yunsung also looked up from his place where he was attempting to set his bone back in place and demanded to be left alone. Though it appeared that Maxi was ready to knock him out, as he and Taki were the only ones in the group with knowledge on setting broken bones.

Kyle leaned forward and motioned his head towards Yunsung, or rather his injuries "It doens't make sense that Drake didn't do more damage. He achieved mastery of the wind dance style several years ago and has had more than enough time to bring it out into his own style. There is also the fact that he has also studied a style comparable to Moyika's as well." Taki breathed as she decided to fuel inject what she now knew about Drake. Everybody grew silent as she spoke "It isn't a similar style, it is one and the same. From what I have gathered he was taught by a creator of the original style another that I used to know quite well. Neither would put effort into the boy without feeling sure of his potential. If Drake had wanted to, he could have killed Yunsung three times over before we arrived." she said which brought a chill to the group.

Mitsurugi breathed lightly having had a feeling that there was something more to the disk that had been tossed in Taki's direction, the latter teacher was clearly the young man she had been looking for. There was no doubt about that. Yunsung growled as he spoke up from the corner "Would you two stop trying to scare everybody, if it hadn't been for a few trick he had picked up he wouldn't have been a problem. Next time it will be different, no matter who taught him." Taki narrowed her eyes as the brash Korean dared to belittle the style that she had struggled so hard to learn and still put effort into mastering.

The demon huntress shot a glare in his direction which several of them took notice of, Link and Mitsurugi both knew that it was more over the insult to her former lover than the style itself. She spoke in an angry tone that few had ever heard from her "You'd be wise not to think so little of him. While it is likely he is not an equel of any former students of the style, he is far superior to myself at his age. Considering he has also mixed it with a style such as Talim's, I fear he may have enhanced it." she said. While she was confident in herself, she could not make any kind of an assumption on how a fight between the two of them would go.

Yunsung blew a few strands of hair from his brow "Whatever. Either way, the next time I see him it will be a whole different story." he declared before there was the sound of a boot kicking the ground and Kyle was standing up as if triggered by some unknown force. He spoke his voice intolerant and clearly angered "Sorry to free you of your delusions, but there is not going to be a next time for you. The only way it would end up different is that he would break your other arm." he shouted his voice echoing lightly. Several of the other seekers looked at him quite shocked at how he was suddenly reacting.

He reached down to where Talim was sitting and removed the dagger that had been sent into Yunsung's leg after nearly being pierced by it "In the last three conflicts it has become clear to me that you do not have the skill to fight Drake with any possible chance of winning. Ever since we have set out and joined with the White Wind, I have hardly even seen you pick up the blade and go through your drills on your own free time. In fact I don't think you have lifted the blade outside of battle since we left the dojo." he announced. Seung Mina soon realized this and nodded her head realizing that Kyle was correct in saying this.

Kyle paced around lightly speaking out "Drake showed up and displayed a great deal of applied teaching and self taught talent and by all rights is your superior Yunsung." the hot blooded Korean jumped to his feet swiping his good arm through the air drawing all attention to him again pushing his opinion that it was all luck. Kyle narrowed his eyes as his hand moved up to be placed on the edge of the Oblivion's hilt "He bares raw experiance over you. While you have had a sheltered life during your training in the dojo, he was with the nomads of Talim's tribe. Living in the wilderness, taking care of oneself and clearly having fought a good many battles in his short life." Yunsung by this point was growling at this dressing down.

Their leader flipped the dagger lightly in his hand as he paced "While I do not know him as well as some of this group, I can easily say that Drake has seen a great deal more of the real world than you have. In essence he grew up a long time ago without even knowing it, a factor which I dare say you have not yet achieved! You believe that your protected by your style and that you are infallible because you share the same style as the great warrior you hope to someday surpass. Then when things don't go your way you result to something like this!" he shouted before hurling the dagger which struck the ground and slid to rest at Yunsung's feet.

Everybody was now looking at Kyle as he pointed out every last pathetic aspect about the brash young blood. Mina then spoke up deciding to end this before Kyle got even deeper into his examination "Once you have healed, you are going to be training a great deal more. You will never again pick up your blade in anger, if you cannot agree to this you can attempt to go by yourself but you will not use a blade of my family to do so." Yunsung growled in anger before punching the stone floor. While this would be more than enough to humble him Kyle decided that he had to strike just one more nerve.

"You are also to avoid conflict with him. The only ones qualified to truly fight Drake with the possibility of winning would be either Talim or Taki. Though Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi and perhaps Raphael might be able to keep up with the raw speed of his style." Kyle said this obviously knowing from his analysis. Talim sucked in a breath at the simple thought of having to fight Drake to the death. Taki breathed in knowing it had to be done. The other four simply nodded their heads in approval though Raphael would have rather spared the boy's life. Yunsung however found this unfair "Kyle! I don't approve of this decision. Look what he did to me!" he shouted.

Siegfried grasped his large blade with his clawed right arm sensing that there would be trouble or at least a verbal war. Kyle looked up before speaking "I don't need your approval of this Yunsung. This is my group and I believe you were the one who thought it best that I call the shots on the journey. He could have killed you, don't complain." Yunsung growled before he darted up getting into Kyle's face shouting "I have just a much a right as you to seek revenge! What about Cervantes Kyle! It's the same thing!" this earned him a sharp punch to the center of his face and he fell back only to be grabbed by his good arm and thrown to the ground hard.

The broad bladed Requiem then struck the ground in a slanted position seperating the two from one another "That is enough." Siegfried said in his demanding voice. Kyle stood back up and Yunsung got up on his knees holding his side which had caught the rest of his body, he groaned lightly in pain. Sophitia stepped up nodding to her old friend as he retreated from the scene and Kyle glared down at Yunsung "Hong Yunsung. I want you to listen to me as hard as you damn well can. I want you to have this drilled into your mind and I never want you to forget it." he said his voice too serious and threatening to be a bluff.

"If you ever draw your blade in anger again and throw yourself at the enemy so foolishly...you are going back and will start from scratch on your train. If you cannot learn to contain your rage you will never come close to Hwang's level." he then grabbed Yunsung by his bright red hair yanking him up hard to glare in his back "And if you ever dare to compare my vengeance over the death of my clan to the pathetic rivalry between you and Drake again, I will insure that you never so much as pick up another blade. Do I make myself clear!" he shouted before he released him and walked away. Mina looked back at the pride shattered young man before running after Kyle, many of the seekers wandered away.

Several of them looked at Yunsung before deciding to just step away and try to get through the rest of the night, they had had enough conflict already. But by all rights Kyle was correct about all of his faults and to compare the kind of rivalry to the hateful connection between Strife and Cervantes was just uncalled for. Yunsung breathed as he reached his free arm over to his injured one and continued the attempt to feel around it until Mitsurugi just got fed up with it and stepped over. He forcefully grabbed the other easterner's arm and felt along the edge before putting it back in place in a painful motion. Yunsung growled before Mitsurugi stepped away and then looked back "Put a splint or something on it, better so it doesn't heal wrong." he said. Being freshly put back in place it would heal a lot faster.

Yunsung breathed as he found a piece of wood from the pew that had been broken during the fighting and cut some of the sharp edges off before bringing it to his arm. He then replaced his arm guard over it hoping it would be enough to hold it closed, he was left alone and the only ones left on the ground floor were himself and Talim who sighed. She then looked up at him and spoke "I don't know what is driving Drake to do this, but it must be something. We need to give him a chance, but please do not get yourself hurt over this." she said before she patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Yunsung was then left to think over all of it, truly he had much to improve upon.

The lightning flashed as the dragon moved swiftly over the night sky occassionally flying low over a few of the many villages that dotted the European landscape as they headed back for the Black Wind's island. The rain struck and pelted the passenger like all the fury of the heavens had the ambition of drowning him for his actions. The creature jerked as it was far out to sea from the mainland and the dragon was apparently just tracking the scent of his master to whom he could only guess were those two mages. Normally summoning specific creatures took over six months to locate and then extract and he had heard nothing of bringing a dragon into the world.

It wasn't long before the silhouette of a land mass appeared before them over the waves surrounded by a deadly ring of jagged rocks, and a localized thunderstorm which was drawn by the Soul Edge. Drake breathed as the dragon began his decent and he caught sight of the Darkthorn at the dock which was a clear sign that Ivy and her people had returned to this cryptic headquarters. He breathed as he could see that the castle was lit and a number of figures entering one of which he could sense was Ivy, he breathed as the dragon flew low over the ground and Drake jumped off the side striking the ground near the castle while the dragon flew up and perched on a large piece of rock.

Ivy looked back from the entrance as Drake stood to his feet soaked to the bone and breathing heavily, clearly it had not been a pleasant trip. Arus'Nei looked back from his own place at the entrance and couldn't sense much to trust about this boy whom he distinctly remembered throwing around in England. The boy looked towards the creature before approaching and then scoffed as he sharply snapped his head to the side whipping off a good amount of the water "I'll take it the infamous shadow had a hand in the beast's presence." he said as he approached to two who stood under the walkway.

The temptress smirked lightly at her servant's sharp eyes "Correct. I just hope that the last few months have not been put to waste, did you get anything from them at all?" she questioned clearly impatient. Drake reached down swiping a bag from his belt and casually tossed it at her, Arus'Nei's hand snapped up to snatch it out of the air and then hand it over. Ivy took it and opened it to received a bright red glow across her face, a smile that crossed her lips and it was clear that Drake had pleased both her and the Black Wind for the time being. The doors then opened behind them to reveal Nightmare standing there, lined with the likes of Astaroth and those two elven mages.

Ivy smirked as she held out the shards to the demonic knight brought to existence by the power of the Soul Edge, which he was still attempting to restore. The two exchanged glances that placed many unwanted thoughts or images in the young wind rider's mind, but he cast them aside when suddenly Astaroth stepped forward bringing up his ax. In a swift movement he side stepped and drew one of his blades in the process, but then noticed the giant halting as it was clearly just moving Drake aside. The behemoth then looked at Ivy "Was the shadowed one of any use?" he questioned glaring towards Arus'Nei.

Without being provoked the white mage brought up his staff and the black mage drew her sword both of them glaring towards Arus'Nei who smirked lightly. Kareena growled before speaking "What in Din's name are you doing here!" she demanded to know, but the shadow didn't answer and without a moment's hesitation she rushed forward with her blade. Arus'Nei shot a hand down to his belt drawing out his knife in a single swift movement and held it up to catch the swipe of her sword which he in turn forced to stab into the ground. He then caught her arm and sent her into a spin to slam into the ground.

Renzo prepared to attack when suddenly Astaroth brought his ax down to separate the two "Enough!" he roared at the two of them. Arus'Nei smirked as Nightmare grabbed the elf by the shoulder and pushed him back to land on the soaked ground "What is the meaning of this wizard?" he demanded to know the Soul Edge glowing a light red. Arus'Nei smirked seeming to taunt both of them as Renzo spoke up.

"Arus'Nei? Arus'Nei! You are not about to tell me that this the one that swore to take Link down, are you!" he shouted at the commander of the Black Wind. Renzo stood to his feet when Arus'Nei paced around them and spoke up "I would think that after all this time you would have stopped caring about that little skirmish. Let us not forget that we are essentially on the same side now." he said with a dark natured voice.

Renzo growled as he stood to his feet and then looked at Nightmare "It isn't my concern how you plan to use his services, but it is in your best interest to keep an eye on him. His vengeance knows no boundaries when it comes to Link." he said before he helped Kareena up and prepared to leave. Drake spoke up from his forgotten place alongside Astaroth "You haven't heard...?" he questioned before Ivy suddenly spoke up.

"The one they call Link is dead, I made sure of that." she said which brought narrowed eyes to Renzo and Kareena who huffed clearly not believing it before moving off, neither cared for Ivy and it was obvious that they didn't believe she could do such a task. Ivy then glanced towards Drake "You were saying something, little one?" she questioned with a suspicious glint in her eye. His eyes moved to Arus'Nei. He had told them and he clearly knew that Link was alive and had not told any of the Black Wind his theories "They still have Link's sword. It is still a threat." he explained.

Nightmare chuckled before he took the shards and moved back into the fortress "We will find a way around that problem." he said as he vanished through the doors. Astaroth moved away from the palace back to the area of the island where his troops made their own barracks, Drake looked to Ivy who nodded and he moved into the palace in hopes of finding some warmth. Arus'Nei turned to leave when suddenly a metallic cracking sound snapped out and the Valentine appeared to restrain him where he stood.

His wrist snapped up and the Maelstrom once again came flat against his chest to protect him from the segments of the whip though didn't give him the ability to break out. Ivy's arms then came around his neck, one of her hands idly holding the Valentine and her teeth nibbled on his abnormally long ear. He let out a sigh before he turned to look at her "You have some sort of a problem Valentine?" he questioned as she lowered herself to hang her head on his shoulder. She smiled before she spoke "I want to make a deal with you boy." she said in a heavily seductive voice.

Arus'Nei raised an eyebrow "Oh? What would that be?" he questioned before she wrapped her arms around his abdomen "I interfered with you and slew your brother, as you call him. If he is truly gone then by your word you are one of us, however I have my doubts with your already proven knowledge. If he however, does draw breath I will owe you a suitable apology for interfering. How does that sound?" she questioned hotly into his ear.

The shadow smirked at Isabella's tempting offer and looked back lightly "That sounds fair enough, but let us get one thing straight. I am not exactly a fan of this kind of such things..." he said looking over the weapon that kept him immobile "If I am however wrong you may do whatever you please with me, think of it as an apology for doubting your ability." Ivy smiled before the Valentine retracted and he turned to face her and she extended a hand to him, the armored one "Deal." she said.

Arus'Nei smirked before he moved forward bringing a few of the loose platinum strands behind her ear and smirked before walking away "Don't think of it as any more than an apology Ivy, wouldn't want Nightmare to find another woman." he said. Ivy's eyes went wide at such an accusation and she snapped out Valentine to lash down his back drawing a slight sliver of blood. Arus'Nei cried out in a few swears that she could not understand, clearly of his own native tongue. He glared back at her and she smiled "I don't think any man could." he smirked before he wandered off.

Next Chapter: First Meetings

(Voice of Sophitia) It has been so long since we originally set out and we are finally heading home. With winter fast approaching it seems that both forces will be heading into hibernation to avoid needless loss. Rothion and the rest of my family wait to greet us and I cannot begin to imagine how things will go between him and Siegfried upon first meetings. Still I wonder how my parents will react to this diverse group being brought to Athens, its kind of scary.  
Author's Note: Okay obviously there is going to be time for development between couples and I want to know which ones I should spend time developing while I can. There are a number of triangle that might have been sighted at this point and I'd like votes on which way they should go. And out of the single relationships I'd like to know which three of the five I should spend time advancing.

Nightmare/Ivy/Arus'Nei - Soul Edge's master of the ominous shadow?  
Drake/Talim/Yunsung - The unwilling traitor or the arrogant hot head?

Link/Cassandra - A relationship between confused souls.  
Kyle/Mina - Neither might see it yet, but it is there. Should they notice?  
Taki/Yugo - More memories or perhaps even a message or appearance?  
Kilik/Xianghua - Obvious lovers, but both hide it. Should it come out more?  
Sophitia/Rothion - Ah marriage. Should we take a peek at their personal life?  
Renzo/Kareena - Clearly of a relationship. Should we see what nature?

Review and cast your votes! Where should the triangles go and which of the three others should be advanced? REVIEW PLEASE! 


	48. Back To Square One

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile. 

Authors Note: Okay this is a turning point. More character will be introduced as they continue the search for the shards of the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. While I plan on waiting for a little more information on the three new characters that will be introduced in SCIII, I already have something set up for a character I suspect will be involved. Also for those who have been on my back about it, Yoshimitsu and Voldo will be introduced sometime within the near future.

Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Forty Seven: Back To Square One

The rest of the night at the cathedral had gone by rather quietly after it became apparent that their second wind dancer truly was not ally and was now their enemy. Kyle had managed to calm down after his dressing down of their second youngest member who had become very quiet and very reserved. Forming a group they had decided that they would return to where it had all truly began. They would head back to Athens and attempt to gather what information they could on what they could do next in their pursuit of the Soul Calibur shards. Kilik had also pointed out that autumn wouldn't last much longer and by the time they reached Athens, winter would have settled in. It was not wise to be traveling during the colder seasons so they would have to wait it out.

Link breathed as he gathered up his things that they had brought with him, he was getting some progress on the sketches from his memory and was feeling that they would do some real good. Glancing around the camp that they had set up however, it was obvious that nearly every member of the group had either a concern or tension about them. Without a doubt his tension was all concentrated on his brother and how after so much time they were once again at one another's throats. And the amount of helplessness that there was nothing he could do to stop him.

Siegfried and Sophitia. The fallen knight and the baker's daughter that essentially called the shots on what they would do and where they would turn. Siegfried was now burning to get his shot at Nightmare after everything that had happened, he also had an equel desire to mock him for the foolish act of handing over his shard of the Soul Calibur. Sophitia was in good spirits as they were heading home, it had been well over three months and she probably missed her husband deeply. While Link had only been there a short amount of time, he could feel the bond they shared with one another.

Taki Moyika and Heishiro Mitsurugi had their own concerned. The huntress and the mercenary were now both officially determined the bring Drake down the next time they saw him and demand anything he knew about Yugo Hitkiri. While Taki's interest was pretty obvious as they had shared a deep relationship so long ago and it was obvious that Taki was yearning to find him now that she knew he was alive. Mitsurugi was just interested in meeting somebody who could match Taki at her own style, having witnessed her cleave through several of the Fu-Ma who approached her. How could he possibly be any different from her or the others.

Seung Mina and Kyle Strife were both concerned about Yunsung. Neither of them wanted him to leave their side as he truly was skilled in the way of the sword, however his lack of discipline since setting out could clearly be seen at this point. It had become noticeable since they first met Drake and his jealousy of the younger man's obvious superiority began to show. Yunsung's wish to be powerful was something that gave Mina a heavy weight on her shoulders as she questioned if he could be trusted with even a sliver of the Soul Edge.

Raphael Sorel was worried about a lot of things. For one there was the group he had joined what seemed like years ago and how their unity was holding up with a betrayal and distrust spawning in the group. He was concerned about the mysterious creatures they had encountered so far that sought the Soul Edge shards, including one that could manipulate them. He was concerned about Isabella Valentine and how she became the monster that she was today. He was concerned about his foster daughter Amy, it had been so long since he had left her with Albert back in France and he was beginning to worry. Though he had never really voiced his concerns to the group openly.

Kilik and Xianghua were both worried about the future of the world. It had rested upon them four years ago and now it seemed that they were coming up pretty low on the totem pole with warriors such and Link, Kyle, Siegfried and Sophitia among them. While it was known that Xianghua could utilize the power of the Soul Calibur, they were both wondering if it would be ment for another. Burying her head in Kilik's chest, Xianghua was clearly concerned about a great number of things. Perhaps she was becoming overwhelmed.

Talim's concern clearly focused around Drake and Yunsung. She was still having a hard time accepting that he would do such a thing, and the simple fact that he had so horribly injured Yunsung to prove his point was another thing. Now Yunsung was prepared to go after Drake over his injured pride and being that she managed to defeat him the first time they met, she was very worried as to what the less merciful and far more experienced Drake would do to him should he be crossed again.

While it was rarely brought up as to why Maxi so earnestly traveled with them, Link had already heard from Kilik that it was all about revenge. Astaroth, a creature of the Black Wind that Link had not had the privilege of meeting yet had decimated his ship and murdered his crew nearly six years ago and Maxi was still out for the monster's blood. This monster apparently was created by some vile sect and had been sent out to capture the Soul Edge, apparently however he had been seduced by Nightmare and brought under his control.

Last, but certainly not least in the eyes of Link. There was Cassandra Alexandra. She had gone out on this journey to experiance the world and be able to broaden her horizons, not to mention prove to her apparently doubting parents that she was not a younger version of her sister. She had shown her concern for the entire group and was constantly there to offer a world of advice or confidence in the group's ability. Her attitude was probably the only thing that kept Link in the frame of mind to get things done and not break to his own depression, which he had hidden away.

It was sunrise of the next day when the group headed out after Link had been sure that the creature that had used the power of the Soul Edge shards against the spirit that now remained dormant in him was on ice. He would be unconscious and frozen long enough for them to get a reasonable distance away, the last thing they needed was that man turned monster to be coming after them once again. It would be another week of travel before they got back to the Eternal Wind and the Nightwraith which were being taken care of for them. In this time the group would strictly travel and only concern themselves with their next step.

It was a bright day when the group arrived back at the port city where they had left their ships and met with the mysterious Heihachi, though it was doubtful that such and ancient, yet powerful warrior was still bedridden after two weeks. The town seemed to have also been repaired after the clash between the mysterious alter ego that Link carried and the aging martial arts master. Walking into town Link once again brought his cloak and hood over himself knowing that after such an event people would be on the look out for suspicious characters. In this world, as always, he was as suspicious as they came.

Coming back to the docks they found that their ships had not moved from where they had been left and a thin layer of algae had gathered around the edges of the wood. Jack Kutter was sitting on the edge of the Nightwraith when he noticed them coming and saw their green clad friend walking with them. He jumped from the railing just barely getting over the water and rushed up placing his hands on Link's cloak hidden shoulders shaking him. Link slapped his hands away demanding to know what was wrong with them "Holy Hell! Your alive!" he shouted before he ran back to the Eternal Wind to tell the others what was going on.

Sophitia chuckled as she walked towards the Eternal Wind dragging her horse behind her, it was of course the same horse that she had brought with her from Athens although until now Link had never really payed much attention. A horse by the name of Kalina it was a brilliant white horse that had been serving her well, the female horse seemed to be a good deal friendlier than the nameless horse that Mitsurugi had been using. Apparently it wasn't his, just a horse that the very last Fu-Ma assassin had been using before Mitsurugi had taken him off of Taki's hands. Either way they had both been easier to manage than the five they had rented.

Link lightly blinked as he pulled his bag back up onto his shoulder unable to figure out exactly what Jack's problem was, they had hardly really had any interaction with each another. Cassandra smiled lightly as she walked to stand next to Link looking up at him "Well it seems that we aren't the only people that are happy to see you. Whether or not you'd like to believe, you have a few fans in our ranks." the younger Athenian said to Link who was still a little stiff. Link smiled back at her before the two of them walked up the ramp to board the ship, Cassandra was happy to see him back in better spirits.

As the recently quiet Talim and the still sore Yunsung headed for the Nightwraith, Seung Mina watched this happen and couldn't help noticing the warmth in Cassandra's actions towards the otherworldly stranger, she turned to Kyle who had Silverbolt perched on his shoulder. He looked back at her as she spoke "It is just me, or have those two been getting a lot closer in the last few days? I mean they are constantly together and she is helping him get the feeling back into his body." Kyle cracked a light smirk at her choice of words and Mina groaned.

Kyle then looked up and decided to speak up "They were pretty close before we thought he was lost from this realm. She loves to hear about his world and she isn't the only one that enjoys hearing his story, to be honest I wouldn't mind seeing his homeland someday. Those two see something within one another that reminds them of themselves, it is something that we clearly cannot see with our eyes." Mina's jaw lightly opened unable to believe that Kyle could possibly be this poetic with such things. She didn't even notice that his eyes were intensely locked with hers during the whole time he spoke, when she noticed him looking at her he averted his gaze.

"No." Kyle suddenly said. Mina looked up about to questioned when he chuckled standing up and stepping towards her, his loyal hawk took off and flew up towards the mast of the Nightwraith. Seung Mina was growing more and more confused as the mysterious Kyle Strife stepped closer to her looking down at her "I think it would be best if you not try to set Link and Cassandra up as you do your friends. Don't forget that Link is not a being of this world, we can't assume that the two of them would ever be able to have anything more than just a friendship." Kyle explained.

Mina looked towards Link and Cassandra as the two of them stepped on board the Eternal Wind and looked down at the ground "I really pity Link. He comes here to destroy a threat to his world only to find that he is trapped here and then his own brother shows up to challenge him. I cannot imagine what kind of anxiety he must be going through." she breathed out making sure only Kyle could hear. Unlike the others of the Four Blades Link had told his story to them though he kept it secret from those that he knew wouldn't easily accept it such as Yunsung and Raphael. It was not their need to know.

Kyle breathed as he stepped behind Mina and placed his hands on her shoulders rubbing slightly causing Mina and close her eyes comforted "I don't think that we need to worry about either of them, just make sure that they are ready to continue. Your good at keeping people in better spirits, heart and soul girl." he told her. Hwang's nick name that was derived from her personality rewarded Kyle with a weak elbow into his chest. Like Yunsung the fact that she was never able to defeat or even take Hwang on infuriated her and any reminder didn't do much. Mina looked back at Kyle and smiled, he smiled back.

While those two were spying on Link and Cassandra neither of them noticed the likes of Sophitia and Taki looking down at them from the steering wheel of the ship. Sophitia was happy to see that her sister and Link were getting along well, but hoped that things wouldn't get out of hand. Taki looked and say the way that Kyle acted around Mina, she had noticed a long time ago that the two of them were rather close and were perfectly fine with just a friendship. She could see affection creeping up from a mile away as it was far too familiar to the origin of her only real relationship.

The demon huntress chuckled lightly as she noticed Sophitia's concern "Just tell Maxi and Naoyuki to be prepared to leave as soon as possible. I'm sure that any of those four know better than to start something at such a point in time. Xianghua and Kilik concern me very much however." she said. Sophitia understood perfectly as she had seen the two of them expressing their affection more than a few times while they were still in Athens. Not that she was going to hold it against them, it was a beautiful thing that they were going to bring out once this war was over.

It didn't take long before they were all boarded up on their respective ships and headed back to Athens, which would take around three weeks of travel if the winds were with them the whole way. It would be another five weeks before the cold season really began and they knew that both them and the Black Wind would be forced to take refuge for those three months before the spring came along. Everything had already been planned out and they would be staying in Athens under the request of Sophitia, it wasn't a request that the temple could afford to just turn down after all she had done for them. It would also give them time to recover and repair themselves from the hardships that they had gone through.

During their time on sea the Eternal Wind lead the way and both ships were constantly within a fifty yards of one another as they didn't want to get separated and they wanted to be ready in the event that one of the ships was attacked. Silverbolt became useful for flying messages from one ship to the other as Kyle had taught the hawk to work with Taki as well as Sophitia. Maxi and Kilik had attempted to work with the bird, but for lack of better terms the bird just didn't like either one of them. One night they had Sophitia send the message over while Link was busy immortalizing yet another person that he had seen in his visions.

Silverbolt came back landing on Sophitia's arm, the hawks claws not piercing the leather guard that she wore on her forearms. Taki took the message that was tied to the bird and Sophitia held the bird as she stepped up to the small group of Cassandra, Xianghua, Maxi and Kilik that had gathered around Link. She breathed as she unfolded the message and read it as it had been written in Korean which she had difficulty with. Then a smile came across her features "With the exception of myself. Silverbolt is a great deal like his master, he is only fond of pretty women. Signed Kyle Strife." Xianghua and Cassandra both laughed as this was said. Link chuckled as well as he added shading to this individual's hair.

Kilik rolled his eyes lightly as Taki read it once again just to rub it in and the females in the area all laughed again. Mitsurugi looked up a rare smile crossing his face as well "I think you've kicked the obvious into them enough." Taki smiled before crumpling up the paper and walking back to continue her conversation with Sophitia. Link smiled as he spoke as well "Without a doubt I'd trust the females of this group over most of the others at first glance. No offense to the guys of course." he laughed lightly.

Siegfried chuckled from where he leaned against the railing of the ship and glanced down at Link's work spying something different from what he had of Hwang "The last few that you did all start with the face. Why does this one have the subject with his back turned towards us?" he questioned lightly. Indeed the subject was facing away from Link in the portrait and the elf could only answer that it was the way he had seen this man as his face was covered. He possessed shoulder length hair and wore some sort of strange armor that took up his entire left arm, the only real thing that pointed him out was a large burned in scar on his back which came out in an X shape.

Link darkened in the specific scar and took a breath before he held it out to the group that had gone and surrounded him "This is all I have of him, I don't suppose any of you would know this guy just by seeing him from this angle." he breathed out slightly feeling a somewhat doubtful as only a fraction of the subject's face could be seen. Everybody in the group shook their head, but agreed that he was without a doubt of eastern decent, Link breathed before he stood up and approached Sophitia and Taki "Do either of you recognize this man?" he questioned holding it out to Sophitia who shook her head.

Taki however looked and felt her hard twist sharply within her chest as she snatched it away from Link and looked at it unable to believe what she was seeing. She began denying what she was seeing under her breath as Link put his hand on the wooden board he used to draw while sitting "Taki...do you know this man?" he questioned. Taki couldn't find the energy to speak as the middle of her back came to meet the railing of the ship and moved one hand to her forehead to comb through her bangs. She adjusted the casual kimono she wore on her shoulders before she slid down the railing to sit on the floor of the ship. She spoke a single word, a single name, a single person.

"Yugo..."

Mitsurugi heard this and moved up to her picking up the drawing which she had allowed to come to rest on her legs and examined it, he could have been anywhere between her age and three years back and he was clearly a powerful looking person. A serious expression adorned what could be seen of his face and he wore a pair or rather simple pants as he went shirtless, much like their demon armed friend Siegfried. The only weapon present on his being was the single edged sword that was gripped by his left arm at the ribboning, however it was not a traditional blade used by the Fu-Ma. It wasn't something that Taki did not expect him to wield due to his upbringing and Mitsurugi didn't expect due to his reputation.

He was handling what was definitely a samurai sword which would have forced him to change a good deal of his style all together, no group such as the Fu-Ma would ever allow one of their own to use such a weapon due to those it was made for. To Taki this picture only ment three things. He had clearly continued to grow into being a powerful warrior and it was clear that he would only have more skill than before. The weapon essentially announced that there was trouble between him and the Fu-Ma as he was not only disobeying a rules, he was defying a principle that Toki had fought to keep up. But nothing was more important than the fact he was alive.

Maxi scratched his head lightly as this was all brought up, aside from those she trusted she had not told anybody of Yugo. Sophitia knew through what was basically girl talk. Mitsurugi knew out of the powerful mutual trust they shared, explaining why she was so suppressing of herself and her emotions. Link knew because she had told him back in Venice when they finally managed to gain trust after their initial meeting. Siegfried knew because she had pulled him aside and asked if there was any information from his knowledge of Soul Edge, out of fear that he might have attempted to take it and failed.

Kilik moved to rest a hand on Taki's shoulder as she breathed heavily clearly in shock that they would have to go about tracking him down "Are you absolutely sure that is the man?" he questioned having fig

Mitsurugi crossed his arms lightly as he looked at this and then questioned "So the spirit within Link's body has shown up that not only this Hwang, but also Yugo are somehow connected to a shard of Xianghua's sword. Link, you have already finished the backdrops of the areas these people were standing in, where was this man standing?" he questioned. Link searched lightly before drawing one out and holding it out to them. It showed a large eastern style temple of sorts, but it was not that the Hoko Temple where the Fu-Ma trained. It appeared to be a lot simpler and it was surrounded by the forests.

Siegfried moved to say something when suddenly Taki stood to her feet and looked at them her entire body becoming tense "Don't even make an offer knight. When the winter has ended I will go to find him myself, you have already done enough in staying with me long enough to know he is alive. This is my task and I will not force you along on it." she said. Mitsurugi suddenly shook his head and the others all did the same as it was obvious that they would not be pushed to the side so easily after they had all been curious since she began to worry so much. Upon being reminded and Xianghua and Kilik were feeling guilty for pushing her to answer that question back in the desert so long ago.

Mitsurugi spoke before he motioned to Link "We still have no clue as to where the other two that hold the shards might be and I think it would be best if we not make plans so soon. Besides that a group has to speak with Hwang and get his shard of the sword, and far be it for me to not meet this man I've heard so much about." Taki lowered head saying a few words of thanks. She just couldn't seem to grasp why they were so concerned about it. Link smiled before he took a long hard look at the picture before removing it and handing it off to Taki, he then stepped back towards the front of the ship.

Maxi headed to follow him figuring that they couldn't just count on the wind to stay down forever as they had stopped for the night. Kilik and Xianghua stood up and the two of them were clearly going to dismiss themselves Kilik however placed a hand on Taki's shoulder smiling lightly "Don't worry Taki. If you two are going to be getting close we'll be sure to stay out of your way. We're all adults here after all." Taki shot him a light glare at him, but suppressed the need to drop her elbow into his chest. He knew it was a message that Maxi probably wanted to be delivered, and she had too much respect for Kilik to strike him for being gullible.

This took place around a week before they finally arrived in Athens and Link was still putting touches on the other two sketches that were still unable to be recognized by the group, this included those among the Four Blades. He figured that he would have more time and a better place to continue once they arrived in Athens, it was quite difficult to get anything effectively done when you were rocking constantly. He was also looking forward to returning to the beautiful city where he had first met this group, he had wanted to see more of it.

It was the early morning when they came up upon the docks that were just a few miles from Athens and they were greeted by a good amount of the city's inhabitants who knew who they were just by the sight of the ship. Several of them offered their services as they began unloading the ship of what they would need as most of them had decided to head for the city and check things out before returning. If things went well they would be able to find lodging in the temple, otherwise many of them would have to spend the winter onboard the ship. This arrangement would be quite disagreeable.

Sophitia seemed rather anxious as she packed up her things which she had been using for the past few months and stepped down off the ship, while some of the group remained behind to handle unloading the others would check on lodging. Sophitia, Taki, Siegfried, Kyle and Mina decided that they would go figuring that they best represented the groups as a whole. When the others were done they would come to the temple right behind them which would put them about an hour behind. The first five moved down the road at a slow pace, taking in the fresh air that came over the mountains and basking in the glow of the sun. Sophitia however, just wanted to get back to her husband.

Next Chapter: Complicated Jealousy 

(Voice of Taki) The love between a man and a woman. It is not something that can be imagined or placed on a canvas, the true essence of such a thing can only be experienced between two partners. Seeing Sophitia's happiness stirs my own heart, but words of another churn fire within it. It is not my place to judge the foolishness of some people, perhaps this love is not something that I am destined to ever feel again.

WEBSITE: Partial Profile for Yugo Hitkiri uploaded.


	49. Complicated Jealousy

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Caliber, Tekken or any of it's characters. They all belong to NAMCO. I don't own anybody from the Zelda Series they belong to Nintendo. I do not own Spawn or Necrid either, Todd McFarlane does. And if you want the copyright info on the Original Characters it is in my profile.

Authors Note: I am sorry that this took so long, I have been working on my own original story. Also I actually have no clue as to what Athens is like so I am using most what I saw in the mythology based game, God O f War. I have been swamped with stuff and have been forced to abandon all but two of my stories. I am taking this one slower until I gain a lot more information on the new characters, enough to at least use them in the story.

Soul Calibur II: Of Souls And Swords

Chapter Forty Eight: Complicated Jealousy

Athens was asbeautiful as it had always been as Sophitia rode her horse down the stone plated streets that lead from the immense harbor where they would be leaving the ship up towards the main city and then into residential areas upon the mountains that lead down to the great bay. The gates weren't far off from where the everyday people lived, and beyond that was the temple of the oracle. The first order of business would be going to the temple and convincing the priests and saints to allow the rest of their group housing for the winter. After that they would head over into the country side, it was still guarded by the walls of Athens but it was where the farmers resided. It was also where Sophitia's family lived.

Siegfried stepped alongside Sophitia and Taki holding his large blade in one hand, the blade pointed up to the sky and the handle pointing down. He also held his traveling bag in the other arm, the one that had not been tainted with the raw physical power of the Azure Nightmare. Sophitia eventually came to the temple and the horse she rode seemed to grow more comfortable, obviously it recognized the familiar surroundings. She looked back at them before speaking "Just act natural." she said before approaching the temple, they followed him. Kyle stepping last after flicking Silverbolt off his shoulder to rest on the saddle of Sophitia's mount.

It didn't take long for Sophitia to find the aging priest who she had known since her journeys had first began and explain most everything that had happened and why they had no choice but to remain together over the cold seasons. It would have been foolish to travel during the winter and it would be a good chance for the tired to rest, the wounded to lick their wounds and for all of them enhance their skills. Before the priest even answered he bowed to Taki remembering her from seven years back, the woman who returned the wounded Sophitia to them. The huntress quickly returned the old man's attention to the subject at hand and he laughed.

"It would be no trouble to set aside a few rooms for you, we do the same for many travelers who must rest from the cold. Feel free to bring your comrades, I'd like to meet those that are working so hard to do such great things." the old man laughed before stepping away. Sophitia breathed in relief before she head back outside and they all moved back toward the harbor, unknowing that a messenger had freshly left the temple and was heading away from the group. Many messengers left the temple on and off, but this particular member of the trade would bring a great tension between the group over their places of birth.

"Do you have any idea just how annoying that is?" Mitsurugi questioned as Link flipped another one of his arrows up and caught it, it was about the hundredth revolution he had put it through out of his raw boredom. It wasn't the fact he was doing it, it was the fact that he let the point strike the wood before he flicked it back up into the air. Upon this he snapped it back up catching it between his index and middle fingers before stabbing it back into the quiver that rested on his side at this point. He had spent most of their trip trimming excess wood into new arrows as he had lost a good deal of them during his drift in the ocean. Good thing he had the resources and the knowhow to make them just as good.

With Sophitia and company having set out things had gotten a lot quieter as many of the others were around and about the two ships gathering their belongings, the docksmen would be watching the ship. Link glanced up at Mitsurugi approached him and took a seat next to him, he had admired Link's determination to rise from his injuries and fight off personal doubts. He didn't know how this boy from another world was crafted by his Gods, but it was clear that he had stepped to the edge of death. Mitsurugi wouldn't have blamed him if he had been ready to give up, but he continued to push on. His resolve was strong, and the samurai acknowledged that.

"I'd like to ask you about this man...the one who Taki will surely start hunting for at the coming of spring." Mitsurugi said in his English, which had improved dramatically to the point it was no longer broken.

"Jealous Heishiro?" Link asked simply with a chuckle. Mitsurugi had fear that the intent of his worlds would not have been misread by the otherworldly swordsman, but then again Link had become a lot more casual with the group. In Mitsurugi's life the only people who ever addressed him by his first name had been his parents, his teacher and a particular rival of his.

"Don't be so dense, boy. Taki has no interest and I am still concerned that those blades of hers will at some point be tensed at my back once again." Link nodded. He knew of the rather complex relationship between the assassin and the samurai and while Cassandra and Yunsung were hopeful of it, romance was an impossibility.

"Well, isn't this an unusual pair?" the two of them looked back to see Kilik standing over the two of them, his long coat blowing lightly in the wind. He explained he had picked up mention of Yugo and felt it was his business as a member of the group, Mitsurugi did not chase him off however. He just continued.

"As I was saying, I know how Taki thinks. There is very little chance that this man is a commoner. In your visions, I would like to know exactly what kind of man we will be searching for." Link leaned forward, it was clear that Mitsurugi wished to know of Yugo's power.

"My visions were only visions visions of four people. I cannot say anything about his level of skill, but he is very much alive and he is somehow connected to the Soul Calibur." he stated as he leaned forward his bag resting behind him. He shrugged lightly "Still in spite of the fact he was not truly there, and that all I saw was an image. I could feel a raw determination upon him. Something that could be anything from vengeance to indignation. I couldn't tell."

Mitsurugi mused lightly leaning back in a rather casual robe he had substituted for his armor "I don't dare share such a concern with Taki, but I fear that when we do find this man, he might not cooperate if he truly has a shard of that sword. In his eyes he might not see a reason to hand something of such power over to us."

Link nodded at this realizing that this man would obviously have power flowing through him as well. He didn't dare tell them the history behind that spirit that had awakened within him and gone on to threaten the creature called Spawn. The spirit held within the mask of the Fierce Deity called Mythran, that had retreated into his being after the raw and harsh defeat of the Majora's Mask. He had known it was present and was forced to don the mask to use it, but this time it came out without the use of the Catalyst. What was Mythran's connection to Soul Calibur and Soul Edge?

Kilik leaned forward on the Kali Yuga "You fear that even after we find him he might consider the Soul Calibur a weapon and wish to have no involvement in this conflict. Hell, for all we know he could even be an enemy."

The Hylian Swordsman nodded his head as he broke from his thoughts "It is just as Kyle said of this Hwang, if he refuses to turn over what we need we will have no choice but to put him in his place." he said lightly cracking his knuckles, ready to step forward if nobody else felt up to it.

The samurai shook his head at Link's words "It isn't just the fact we might have to fight him over it. Hwang is a high ranking warrior in the Korean Defense Force, he has no choice but to agree to the rules of a duel. I fear that a warrior of the Fu-Ma might not agree to something as simple as a drop of blood determining the victor." he said in reference to the first rule of a European deul. The victor was the one who drew blood from the torso.

"This is a pretty depressing scenario." Kilik murmured.

"Lets be honest Kilik. That would suck!" Link responded.

"Indeed." Mitsurugi breathed.

Link leaned toward not liking the thought of even more conflict which was essentially all he had witnessed since he had arrived. He looked at his bag, he had completed the final two sketches and the last three locations as to where they would find these people, he still had to show them to the group however.

"As if we haven't already got enough emotional problems with those that we are already put against. Raphael's relationship with Ivy. Then there is Drake and Talim. Sophitia also mentioned the fear of facing another even after we found Siegfried." Kilik exhaled.

"Who do you think it is?" Link asked towards the samurai as he picked up his own bags making sure that everything was prepared for travel, his secondary sword that he never used was there as well, not used since he discovered his beloved Shishi-Oh. 

Kilik looked over the deck towards everybody sitting at the dock awaiting the return of the elder Athenian, the men from Athens' dock had already agreed to take care of the ships. "I feel sort of guilty for resting out the Winter while that bastard Nightmare continues to push his search for the sword."

"If he has any care for the strength of his body and the well-being of his cohorts he will not venture into the winters of the far east. He is waiting, same as us." Mitsurugi explained as he stood up and started away from the ship as the sight of a white horse appeared on approach.

It wasn't long after Sophitia had returned to the harbor on horseback that she requested everybody follow her back to the city and thus a short hike ensued over the stone streets and many of them were busy taking in the sights as they walked. Link smiled as he walked "This land reminds me so much of my own, so appreciative of the surrounding world and its eternal beauty." he mused. Cassandra smiled from the side, taking in his light smile and the fact he was looking towards her as well as the fields.

Silverbolt had taken his perch on Raphael's shoulder and Yunsung lagged behind the group still appearing sour about a few things, he would have rather been hunting down that traitorous Drake. However the last time he made this known Xianghua silenced him by putting her grip around his still aching arm. Kilik had also reminded him that Drake had knowledge as to how assassin's fought, he would not fight with honor and he would go straight for the kill. Yunsung still had to realize the difference between the outside world and a dojo.

Kyle, Mina, Taki and Siegfried werealready there of course, probably already situated in their rooms or somewhere close to that. Sophitia felt a little better that Taki had been carrying around that short cut kimono, had she been wearing her stealth outfit or armor, she could think up a few questions that would gain the kunochi's spite. There also were not many that would question Mina as long as Kyle was beside her.

Kilik and Xianghua stepped beside Link and Cassandra. The three of them had all insisted that Link not bother donning his cloak and hood as they had already seen him before, they knew that much and Sophitia promised that they would understand those in her company. Link however, was not so sure of the tolerance of humanity just yet.

Maxi sort of hung back with the group and looked at Mitsurugi, while he was normally somewhat offset from the group he had still discovered the relationship between Taki and this Yugo person. However, the samurai had told him bluntly that it was not his business. Now he was just concerned about how they accepted those from the East.

Mitsurugi explained how Taki saved Sophitia years ago and brought her home, that was the foundation for their friendship. Considering the fame Sophitia carried in Athens, it was a good guess that they would not alienate the associates of the former Fu-Ma.

Indeed they were a very diverse group, but they were also the friends and allies of Sophitia Alexandra. Athens would see them as a beacon of light for a world that could easily be doomed and would support them every step of the way.

After nearly a mile of the stone streets and beautiful architecture they were back at the Temple of the Oracle, tall and imposing it was a memorial to all those that had answered the call of the Gods. Among such honored souls was Sophitia Alexandra. Cassandra couldn't help but smile back towards Link and Talim, for it was the same place where they had all first met, even if the first meeting between Cassandra and Link involved the crossing of blades and angered words. Link smiled back, Talim eventually did the same.

Waiting at the stairs was Taki who had been at work sharpening one of her blades and Siegfried who was leaning up against one of the columns. Kyle and Mina had taken a room together and were apparently discussing what they were going to do with Yunsung. They were responsible for him. His anger towards Drake was going to get him killed and they knew it.

Sophitia stepped off her horse and handed the reigns to a stable boy who had come up almost on cue and he took off towards the stables with the animal traveling behind him. Cassandra breathed as he let her legs collapse and seated herself in the middle of the temple's lot, gazing up at the sky that was cloaked over them. Link sat down as well and looked up, he had never noticed how the clouds formed above. It wasn't long before Talim, Kilik and Xianghua had joined them. This left several of the others shaking their heads at the carelessness of youth.

"You sure know how to torture a man, Sophie!" a voice suddenly called out from behind as Sophitia headed towards the temple. She whirled around as swiftly as lightning to gaze past her friends to the speaker who had appeared behind him. Rothion smiled up at her as she looked at him and shrugged lightly "I was hoping that the Winter would bring at least one good thing to Athens." he said with a chuckle.

Without warning Sophitia bolted down the stairs and pushed past Mitsurugi and Raphael and ran straight at her husband before jump tackling him. He quickly backed to avoid falling as her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, his own moved around her body and they shared a deep and passionate kiss. Siegfried chuckled lightly gaining Taki's attention "Let me guess, Rothion?" the lovely assassin nodded with a half smile.

She then approached Siegfried sitting down next to him before she motioned her head towards the two happy lovers. Any present suspicion or concern was cast away for those few perfect moments of reunion. Taki had half expected the young knight to be repulsed by Rothion's presence having known that the whole time Taki was dragging her back here, she was questioning where he was. Taki shrugged as she glanced at the knight "So much for all that admirable restraint." She chuckled. Siegfried laughed.

Several heartwarming moments later Sophitia pulled herself from her husband, attempting to hide the fiery blush that had come across her face. Cassandra and Talim were laughing while Link was managing to contain himself, Xianghua and Kilik didn't dare laugh however. They had a few ideas how it must have felt, of course when they were separated last time they still believed that their friendship had been common, it grew after they rejoined in Athens.

She looked back at her comrades able to see the raised eyebrows and mental snickers as only Kilik, Xianghua and Maxi had actually met Rothion before just now. He attention was then snatched as Siegfried stepped down the stairs and towards him, his sword leaning against one of the several columns. Rothion didn't flinch as he had easily figured out who this man was, the partner that Sophitia was forced to run ahead of in her first encounter with the Soul Edge. Her journeys were just as eventful as ever.

He stopped as he was standing before Rothion, the swordsmith standing about two inches taller than the young knight. He had once believed that after he achieved redemption that he and Sophitia would be together, he could tell that everybody was fearful of what he might do. Parting his lips he spoke "You are Sophitia's husband, correct?"

Rothion gave a smile at this "If I wasn't I wouldn't have done what I just did, I wouldn't want to face the fury of this maiden's other half."

Siegfried gave a light smile at the humor before he held out his hand to Rothion, he then chuckled outwardly "Then you are either a very deserving man or somebody that has become more fortunate than most. Nice to meet the man behind the legend." he chuckled.

Rothion smiled before snatching the young knight's hand, both palms calloused and weathered from their respectfully different ways of life. Rothion couldn't help but ask "Legend? Me?"

Siegfried smirked "When word reached Venice that Sophitia Alexandra had wed, many rumors appeared about how you might be a son of the Gods. Then again not many are willing to accept that dear Sophitia is a baker's daughter." the woman in mention shook her head lightly, having heard her share of the rumors about her.

"The man is never a match for the legend it seems." Rothion said as he lowered his hand and brought his arm over Sophitia's shoulders. Siegfried had taken notice of how he squared his knees and how his arms were crafted in a way that wouldn't come from hammering swords, it was obvious that he was a warrior in his own right. He guessed an instructor or teacher, no man had the right to make a blade if he could not wield it.

Sophitia smiled as he took back his healthy hand and placed a hand on Sophitia's shoulder feeling her tension melt away. The two of them had been something so long ago before fate seemed to stamp its foot down on the crossroads of their individual paths. Siegfried hoped that this had proved that he was happy for her. He would always love her, but he would not dare to object to the choices that she had made.

"I told you that something happened between those two." Link muttered towards Talim who breathed out lightly, she had not believed Link's theories about the elder sister and the lighter side of Nightmare. Of course he wouldn't dare tell the wind priestess that Cassandra had retold a few of her sister's stories about her first trip.

"With all that Siegfried has gone through, I'm surprised he is so accepting of it. I mean weren't they...you know..." Maxi silenced himself as he noticed Cassandra casting him a very threatening glare that threatened to devour his soul.

"My sister and Siegfried were close, but not like that." she snapped and made sure that everybody was starring at Maxi. Talim giggled at the pirate's confusion and embarrassment as Siegfried stepped up and stopped as he passed by the man.

A smirk came across his face "I'm flattered you'd believe that I was worthy of her, but we were both young and our devotion to our individual faiths halted us from such foolishness. Not that it would have been something I would have regretted." Everybody laughed including Rothion, Sophitia giggled in spite of the large hue on her face.

Taki smirked seeing a window of her own "Not all partnerships are quite taken in the manner of your friends, Maxi." this was said at the expense of Xianghua and Kilik.

Kilik blushed lightly while Xianghua looked up at Taki, wrapping her arms around her obvious lover "What's up Taki, you jealous?"

While it was said in good humor this earned Xianghua an acidic glare as once again his image was forced into Taki's mind and she found herself stumbling to turn away from them. She cursed lightly as she stepped away before she stopped and looked back at them "I don't chase after little boys taken by little girls." She said before stepping away "If you need me I'll be finding my room." she growled before vanishing through the doors. Siegfried moved after her hoping that he could help her calm down before some poor servant of the temple felt her misdirected wrath.

Xianghua was taken aback and Mitsurugi shook his head lightly realizing that after so many years her past was beginning to catch up with her. It must have been hard. The obvious confusion that existed on the two lovers faces only served to crack the samurai's stoic neutrality he had held for so long. He was prepared to slap her mouth for such an insult, wether or not it was meant as one.

"Kilik, your woman should learn to keep her mouth shut." all eyes turned to Kyle as he strode past and moved to follow Taki, it was easy for member of the group to see how he might have identified with how the kunochi had lived her life. In solitude and without time for play. Seeing that the leader of the Four Blades had taken up the duty of putting the younger members back in their place he moved to follow Siegfried and Taki, leaving the others to prevent any fight.

Xianghua glared back at the Korean insulted before she tore her arms away from Kilik and got in the older warrior's face glaring at him "If you wanna say something to me feel free to express it to my face!" she snapped. Talim and Yunsung looked on feeling it was just an argument, Link however looked prepared to charge in and separate them.

Everybody gasped when Kyle grabbed her chin and pressed his brow against her own, her eyes went wide and the air filled her lungs as he glared back at her. He spoke after what seemed like forever "Fine. After hearing your words to a tortured woman, I'm convinced that you're a little bitch." He said sharply before releasing her and striding past her. She was shocked and looked back at Mina, Raphael and even Yunsung. None of them seemed prepared to tell their leader that he was out of line and being unfair.

Part of her told her to stop herself, but she glared at the Korean's back "What are you going on about! I've done nothing to her!" Mina shook her head before moving forward to stand by Kyle who had came to a stop on the marble stairs. She looked back at Xianghua, whom she considered her friend and shook her head ever so lightly.

"What did I do?" Xianghua demanded to know as Kyle and Mina vanished into the temple without another glance at the confused young woman.

"Taki is aching for her man it would seem." Raphael murmured.

"We know he is alive, isn't it about time she got over it?" Xianghua groaned.

"I don't think she has the ability to." Kilik theorized.

"Taki is a single star amongst other that has been forced to grow dim by the destiny she chose, that organization she hails from doesn't leave her with the same social freedoms as you." Link murmured. His arms crossed and his eyes closed as he spoke, explaining the theories that he, Kilik and Mitsurugi had gone over. "The Fu-Ma, they hunt her now from what I have gathered, gaining love for another would only endanger them. As for this man, Yugo, being alive he might still be with them. Their blades might be forced to cross."

"But...they loved each other. How would anybody be able to do that!" Xianghua demanded of Link. Talim and Cassandra both looked at Link as he exhaled, his own memories of his failed attempts to grasp love coming back to him.

"It has been over seven years since they saw one another, there is no telling what he plans to do with the Soul Calibur shard he has gained. Love is truly something powerful, but it does have its limits and conditions. Taki fears that he might not return her love or worse, she might have to slay him in order to retrieve what we need." Everybody grew deathly quiet at this.

Cassandras hands came to her mouth and Sophitia felt tears grow in her eyes at the thought of what her friend, the woman who had saved her life had been ready to discover. Talim looked at the ground and depression seemed to wash over the group. Xianghua was now feeling the justice of Kyle's words and looked up "But...she said she wasn't jealous...I was only kidding..."

Link exhaled "She is not jealous of you and Kilik, she is jealous of what you have so easily gained between one another. Taki's relationship with this man was formed behind the backs of all those that trusted her to not make such a mistake as having feelings for her comrade. She sees the obvious future before you and hates how she might never again have the chance to grab at it. Sometimes frailties cannot be seen on the bodies or in ones technique, some go deeper." Link said this before he stepped into the temple.

Xianghua sat on the stairs and looked at her feet unable to believe how hard her words much have struck Taki, Kilik held her and Maxi sat down beside her resting one hand on her shoulder. Sophitia allowed Rothion to leave and return to their home which doubled as his smithy, hopefully the dinner her parents were preparing for her and her group would help to raise some of their spirits.

Next Chapter: Scornful Hospitality

(Voice of Siegfried)While many may claim to welcome us there is a great deal of hidden scorn behind bright smiles and batting eyes I can smell it. I do not blame them for fearing me, disliking me and even hating me. It was by my hand that so much has happened. I will take their slings and arrows, but he does not deserve their hatred. To be pushed by his breaking point by these people that know nothing about him! I will not stand for it! 


	50. Revision Updates

My dearest reviewers,

I'd like to once again go over everything that I plan to change with the story while awaiting the arrival of SCIII. This is of course just the specifics.

Rework the beginning.  
More Link/Cassandra scenes.  
More Kilik/Xianghua scenes.  
More Drake/Talim scenes.  
Adding Kyle/Mina scenes.  
A few Raphael/Ivy flashbacks.  
A few Yugo/Taki flashbacks.  
Rework the Link VS Nightmare fight.  
Rework the Valentine Mansion battle.  
Rework the Charade Battle.  
Raising importance on Raphael.  
Raising importance on Mitsurugi.  
Raising importance on Kilik.  
Making Link less overpowered.  
Making Link's story mysterious.  
Replacing the Oni Link appearance. Replacing Spawn in Venice w/Voldo.  
Replacing Heihachi with Zasalamel.

I plan to rework the beginning to make it seem like a surprise that Nightmare and Soul Edge are still around. I also want to add in a few more of those touching scenes between the stories two choice couples. As for the Drake/Talim/Yunsung triangle I am still waiting for people to vote on it. Though I do plan on introducing a past between Drake and newcomer, Tira.

I plan to rework a few of the more memorable fights, especially the battle between Link and Nightmare.

I basically see how Voldo can end up in Venice trying to get the shards and I think that everybody sees the overpowered characters and why they should be cut down. I want Link to have one of the those scenes where he comes clean about where he is from so it would be a good idea to read the revised chapters I will mark later.

Spawn and Heihachi...I have completely run out of ideas for them and am having absolutely no fun making sure that their characters are right. So I am dropping them in exchange for Zasalamel and Voldo on initial appearances. Another character will be fighting Link, of course I will be getting rid of all the Oni Link stuff. Why? Because I don't know where I was going with it, so it will basically just be Link after regaining some of his magical abilities. Though they are limited and there is not much of an advantage.

Finally, to those that have been reviewing me and e-mailing me recently I thank you. But to those that have been doing the same only to scream at me about Link let me ask you this, do you think that I feel like going back and erasing Link from fifty chapters of work?

I am sorry if you do not like Link, but he is important to this story and I plan to fix everything to make him a little less powerful and slowly ease him from being the absolute main character. Those who I told this to and they still demand I drop him from the story completely, you should just hold onto that dream because it ain't gonna happen.

(whinning) "But I thought you loved your reviewers, and that you listen to what we thing!" (whinning)

Yeah I do love all my reviewers, but I only let my story be effected by the thoughts of the majority and even then it is my choice. I'm not going to spend the next six weeks revising my brain child because three or four people don't like Link being in Soul Calibur. Don't read the story or flame me like everybody else, don't be mailing me at home to say you have a problem with something I do without pay and without benefits. Take what you can get. The next chapter should be up within two weeks, but chances are with the revising some parts of it will be a little confusing.

To those loyal reviewers I say thank you and God bless you.

To those that keep urging me to change things, I appriciate your input, but please do everyone a favor and screw off.

T.Lawrence Biohazard 101 


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